Two months after direct talks between Lebanon and Israel began under American sponsorship, the framework agreement has produced no visible results on implementation or the cessation of Israeli operations.
Direct negotiations held at the White House, attended by Lebanese Ambassador to the United States Nada Hammade Mouawad and Israeli Ambassador Yehiel Leiter under President Donald Trump's auspices, saw American Secretary of State Marco Rubio oversee seven rounds of talks. An eighth session was planned for September but has not been scheduled, Palestinian officials say, because the Israeli delegation has refused to commit to designating the occupied zones where the Lebanese Army would deploy, as it has in liberated areas including Zoutar West, Srifa and Ghandouriya.
Lebanese officials have begun questioning the effectiveness of direct negotiations, which Israel has shifted away from ceasefire and withdrawal toward border demarcation, the recovery of Israeli prisoners, and claims over Jewish property in Lebanon. The Israeli negotiating team has also raised the question of Jewish immigration to Lebanon, where approximately ten thousand people holding Lebanese citizenship are distributed across several areas, with the majority formerly in Beirut.
Israeli negotiators are obstructing implementation of the core agreed terms guaranteed by the United States, according to sources familiar with the talks. These sources indicate that the American mediator has sided with Israeli demands rather than supporting the Lebanese delegation.
President Joseph Aoun has maintained optimism that progress will be achieved, citing the alternative as continued war, ongoing occupation, delayed reconstruction and non-return of displaced persons. However, Lebanese government sources revealed American pressure on Lebanon to begin confiscating illegal weapons, particularly those of Hezbollah, whose officials assert there is no problem south of the Litani River. The Lebanese Army has previously carried out such operations, but American and Israeli officials dispute whether the task was completed fully, describing the Army as still falling short and facing a test.
U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa stated that Hezbollah disarmament must occur before Israeli withdrawal can be discussed. Issa said Israeli withdrawal will only follow once Lebanon is entirely free of illegal weapons and state authority holds exclusive possession of arms, in line with American messaging to Lebanese government officials.
Most Lebanese officials now believe American promises made to them have not been honored, despite President Trump's efforts with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to prevent war expansion ahead of Knesset elections. Netanyahu is pursuing the elimination of Hezbollah in Ali al-Tahir hill to achieve a military victory to present to Israeli voters as his public support declines against opponents.
