Diplomats from Israel and Lebanon met Wednesday under U.S. auspices and discussed cooperation on economic projects to help stabilize the situation in southern Lebanon near their shared border.
Why it matters: The meeting in Naqoura on the border between the countries was the first such direct, public engagement between Israel and Lebanon since 1993.
- The Trump administration has been tying to foster this sort of dialogue between Israel and Lebanon for nine months.
- A U.S. official said the U.S. hoped the meeting would help de-escalate tensions between the countries and help to avoid a resumption of the war in Lebanon.
- While a ceasefire was reached nearly one year ago, Israel has been stepping up its strikes in Lebanon in recent weeks to combat what it sees as an effort by Hezbollah to rebuild its military capability.
Driving the news: The meeting took place less than two weeks after the Israeli military assassinated Hezbollah's top military commander Haytham Ali Tabatabai in an airstrike in Beirut.
- That was the most significant Israeli strike against Hezbollah leaders since the ceasefire reached a year ago and the first time Israel has struck Beirut in five months.
Friction point: The Israeli government has told the Trump administration in recent months that the Lebanese government isn't doing enough to implement its decision to disarm Hezbollah, Israeli and U.S. officials say.
- The Israelis have warned the White House that if Hezbollah continues to rearm at the current rate it will be forced to resume the war to degrade the militant group again.
- The Lebanese government has denounced the Israeli strikes and claimed they undermine the Lebanese army's operations in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese government also has also demanded that Israel withdraw from five outposts inside Lebanese territory near the border.
Between the lines: A U.S. official said the Trump administration believes the assassination of Hezbollah's top military commander gave the Israeli government more political maneuvering space and delayed a potential major Israeli operation in Lebanon.
- The Trump administration thinks that regardless of the rhetoric from some Israeli politicians and generals, a resumption of the war by Israel is not in the cards in the coming weeks, the U.S. official said.
Behind the scenes: The Trump administration has been trying to launch direct talks between Israel and Lebanon since March, but neither party has been enthusiastic.
- As tensions continued to rise in recent weeks, the Trump administration pressed both sides to send diplomats for direct talks with U.S. participation, a U.S. official said.
- The new U.S. ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, convinced the Lebanese government to participate despite the ongoing Israeli strikes, while U.S. diplomat Morgan Ortagus convinced the Israelis to take part despite their claims about Beirut's insufficient response to Hezbollah.
- On Tuesday, Ortagus met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and urged him to send a diplomat to the meeting. Ortagus told Netanyahu that while the Lebanese government can do more to stand up to Hezbollah, it's better for Israel than any previous Lebanese government in decades, a U.S. official said.
- On Tuesday evening, both Israel and Lebanon agreed to send diplomats.
Inside the room: The talks took place on the sidelines of the monthly meeting of the ceasefire monitoring mechanism, which is led by the U.S. military.
- After talks with the military officers, Ortagus and the Israeli and Lebanese diplomats held a separate meeting. A source with knowledge said it was mostly focused on the parties getting to know each other.
- The source said the most substantive issue in the first meeting was economic cooperation between the countries in southern Lebanon, especially when it comes to the reconstruction of areas affected by the war.
- While at the moment the parties are discussing small joint projects, the long-term U.S. vision is to establish a "Trump economic zone" along the border which will be free of Hezbollah and heavy weapons, a U.S. official said.
What to watch: The source briefed on the meeting said the parties agreed to meet again before the new year and come to the table with economic proposals that will help in confidence-building.
- "All parties agree that the primary objective remains disarming Hezbollah. The three militaries will continue to work on it through the ceasefire mechanism," the U.S. official said.
Flashback: During Trump's first term and during the Biden presidency civilian officials from Israel and Lebanon held talks on the maritime border between the countries.
- Those were officially indirect negotiations, unlike Wednesday's meeting, and didn't focus on broader issues in the relationship.
