Lebanon and Israel launched their latest round of US-mediated talks on Tuesday, amid deep divisions over the neighbouring countries' expectations for the next steps.
The Israeli military invaded Lebanon in March, as the Tehran-aligned Hezbollah militia intensified attacks, after the US and Israel launched their war on Iran.
Tehran is insisting that what happens in Lebanon become part of any final peace deal with Washington, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was excluded from the initial agreement and has opposed it.
Lebanon is also unhappy that Iran is attempting to negotiate on its behalf. Hezbollah, which the US has designated a terror group, is not party to the negotiations at the State Department, and it is clear that Lebanon and Israel remain far apart.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun spoke out against Israel's continuing occupation of the south and foreign influence in his country.
He hoped negotiations would be “decisive” in restoring Lebanon's “full sovereignty over every inch of soil and extending the state's authority over all our land”, his office said.
But Israel's ambassador to the US, Michael Leiter, warned that the talks were at risk of disaster. Israel has repeatedly said that its troops would remain in Lebanon until Hezbollah is defeated.
“This is the fifth round of talks, and I must say – we are heading toward a train wreck,” he said in his opening remarks.
“Four rounds ago, we all boarded the same train. We sat in the same carriage and set out towards the same destination, with the United States serving as the locomotive pulling us forward … Today, that train is in danger of derailing. I hope we can get it back on track.”
He said Israel had been negotiating under the basic assumption that Iran was out of the picture, "and that the central issue was Lebanon and Hezbollah - not the extent to which Iran could restrain Hezbollah".
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio this week spoke to Mr Netanyahu and Mr Aoun about strengthening the ceasefire in Lebanon.
On Tuesday, as he arrived for talks in the UAE, Mr Rubio spoke about Iran's influence in Lebanon through its support and sponsorship of Hezbollah.
"That factor will be discussed as part of our conversations with the Iranians, but as far as the future of Lebanon, the future of Lebanon belongs to the Lebanese people through their sovereign elected government," Mr Rubio said.
Lebanese officials have insisted that face-to-face negotiations with Israel are the only way to secure an end to the war in Lebanon, which has killed more than 4,000 people.
But the previous four rounds of Lebanese-Israeli talks, which began in April, have failed to yield a durable ceasefire despite repeated extensions.
A Lebanese official told Reuters he was sceptical that any tangible progress would come out of the negotiations, which are set to last for three days.
“There remains a fundamental problem of trust between us and the Israelis in these talks. We cannot fulfil their demands, and they reject all of ours,” the official said.
The official added that Beirut would demand Israel present a “reasonable” timetable for its withdrawal at the talks.
“This is the only chance we have to generate momentum in these talks, and in this tug-of-war with Iran,” the official said.
Israel, meanwhile, sees the purpose of the upcoming talks as “disarming Hezbollah and achieving a genuine peace agreement” with Lebanon, according to a briefing by Israeli government spokesman David Mencer on the eve of the new negotiations.
The only impediment to a deal with Lebanon was Hezbollah, “which is why we believe that they should be disarmed and dismantled”, Mr Mencer said.
The Lebanese government has moved carefully since 2025 to disarm Hezbollah without confronting the group directly, fearing it would spark a civil conflict.
Hezbollah has rejected disarming in full and has called on the government to withdraw from its direct talks with Israel.
