US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Tuesday for Israel and Lebanon to seize a “historic opportunity” for peace as the first direct talks in decades between the two countries got underway in Washington.
“This is a historic opportunity. We understand we’re working against decades of history and the complexities that have led us to this unique moment and the opportunity here,” Rubio said at the State Department as he welcomed the ambassadors of the two countries.
“The hope today is that we can outline a framework upon which a current and lasting peace can be developed,” he added.
But pro-Iran Hezbollah — which is battling Israeli forces in southern Lebanon — called for the talks to be scrapped before they even began, describing them as “futile.”
The Israeli military warned Tuesday that it expected a rise in attacks by Hezbollah targeting the country’s north as the talks were being held.
Lebanon was pulled into the region-wide Iran war on March 2 after Hezbollah attacked Israel.
Since then Israeli strikes — including an extremely heavy attack on Beirut on April 8 — have killed more than 2,000 people and displaced more than one million, despite international calls for a ceasefire.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that “we want the dismantling of Hezbollah’s weapons, and we want a real peace agreement that will last for generations.”
On the Lebanese side, President Joseph Aoun said Monday he hoped the Washington talks will yield “an agreement…on a ceasefire in Lebanon, with the aim of starting direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel.”
President Donald Trump’s administration insists on the disarmament of Hezbollah, but also respect for Lebanon’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, while simultaneously upholding Israel’s rights — positions that appear difficult to reconcile.
A former Israeli defense official told journalists on condition of anonymity Monday that it would take “a lot of imagination and optimism to think” that the issues between Israel and Lebanon can be solved in Washington Tuesday, adding that “expectations are low.”
