Netanyahu tells cabinet to start direct talks with Lebanon

[Twiglets1]

Reported in the BBC today that Benjamin Netanyahu says he's told his cabinet to start direct talks with Lebanon "as soon as possible".

In a statement posted on X in Hebrew, it says he requested this to his cabinet yesterday, in light of "repeated calls" from Lebanon to open direct negotiations.

He adds that the talks will focus on the "disarming Hezbollah and establishing peaceful relations between Israel and Lebanon".

So I should really cut and paste the above to the correct one ? My worry is the folk in the different discussions won't see all.

No matter. It is rather ironic that trump is going on about "truth".

Agree with your first paragraph and hope that is the outcome from the peace talks between Lebanon & Israel.

Though I know it won't be as simple as that, they are good goals for both sides to commit to.

Up to you.

No easy, not. But really it is that simple. I think we need to take the veil off our eyes with all these politics and allowing leaders to hide behind the fifficulty of the task. They need to get going with it, end.
Running an A&E department is not as simple as signing in patients, initial triage, assign to doctor/ nurse, see patient, order tests, get treatment, book in hospital or send home. It is never just that simple. But somehow it happens. Day in day out, whether it rains or hails or it is sunny. And nobody cares about excuses and delats and this and that. The guys still have to do their job. Same for thousands of other professions.
Politicians can do it. They are just too full of excuses.

I mainly meant that it won't be simple to get Hezbollah to disarm.

But it needs to be done, along with Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.

I agree with that and hope it happens.

Same easy as getting Israel back inside its borders and stop shooting into Lebanon.
Where there is a will, there is a way.

This is the problem. The Israel government is run by Zionists who believe that they have a God given right to other people's and other state's land.

Even if they US withdraw from the Gulf and agree to Iran's 10 point plan, the Israelis will keep attacking, at least as things stand currently.

I agree. All these sources are consistently incorrect.

It's very, very hard to believe that the Israelis have any intention of meeting Lebanon for peace talks when Smotrich is making comments like this. It defies common sense.

There are also reports that more US planes and ships are arriving in the Gulf in preparation for a US ground offensive.

I would love to be 100% wrong but this looks like escalation to me, rather than the opposite.

Israeli and Lebanese officials due to meet in Washington today for the US-mediated talks to end the conflict in Lebanon.

The meeting will be mediated by Marco Rubio and will include the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to Washington and the US ambassador to Beirut.

The Telegraph note that:

Lebanon was dragged into US-Israel war against Iran on March 2, when Iran-backed Hezbollah began attacking northern Israel in support of Tehran.

Since then Israeli strikes have killed more than 2,000 people and displaced more than one million, while Israel ground forces have invaded southern Lebanon.

Israel is under increasing international pressure to agree to a ceasefire, but has ruled out doing so until Hezbollah are disarmed.

Lebanon says it is committed to stripping the powerful militia group of its weapons, but Israel is not convinced it can deliver such a pledge.

Hezbollah has rejected talks and said it won’t abide by anything agreed in Washington.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/14/iran-war-latest-news-trump-israel-strait-of-hormuz-peace/

Thus it seems from the above that were it solely up to Israel and Lebanon, a peace deal could be achieved fairly easily.

With Hezbollah saying it won't abide by any agreements made however, the prospects of a peace deal appear slim.

The challenge for the Lebanese government will be persuading Israel that it is capable of doing what it apparently wants to do, which is stripping Hezbollah of its weapons.

Analysis in Sky News:

Don't expect a deal today when Israeli and Lebanese officials meet for talks in the US for the first time since 1993, but this might be an important diplomatic moment.

The level of trust between the governments of Israel and Lebanon is very low, but it isn't zero.
Beirut doesn't just want an end to the violence, it's also grown weary of the impact that Hezbollah's campaign against Israel has on the rest of the country.

Hezbollah, we should always remember, is an Iranian-backed military and political force, but it's not the Lebanese government and, while popular in big swathes of the country, it doesn't speak for a majority of the Lebanese people.

For its part, Israeli officials, publicly and privately, say they want good, safe relations with their northern neighbour.

In practice, that means believing the Lebanese government will finally make good on its promise to disarm Hezbollah, something that has happened in piecemeal fashion up until now.

But, at a time of regional conflict, Benjamin Netanyahu has seen the past month as a chance to hobble Hezbollah's capacity to attack Israeli towns near the border.

America wants de-escalation. In fact, that is exactly why Israeli attacks on Lebanon have slowed since a ceasefire was announced between Iran and America - Donald Trump asked the Israeli prime minister to back off.

Now, we have tentative diplomatic steps - ambassadors rather than politicians.
It could be the start of something, or a false dawn. But at least it's something.

https://news.sky.com/story/iran-war-latest-254-people-killed-by-israeli-strikes-in-lebanon-today-says-civil-defence-service-13509565

If Israel cannot strip Hamas of its weapons (after 2.5 years and no quarms over mass civiliam deaths, destruction of all buildings and restricting humanitarian access) who could believe that Lebanon (far less capable than Israel militarily or administratively who a couple of years ago couldnt pay its soldiers) can strip Hezbollah of its weapons?

Also Is there any evidence at all that Israel has ever really wanted peace?

Israel Ambassador to USA " the only time we cross each others borders is in suits to conduct business or bathing suits to go on holiday "

Imagine 😍

Both on same page and want to rid them of Hezbollah

Israel-Lebanon talks 'a victory for peace', Israeli ambassador says

Israel's ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, is speaking to reporters in Washington after talks with Lebanon ended.

"We discovered today that we're on the same side of the equation, and that's the most positive thing we could have come away with," he says in a statement.

The parties at the talks discussed a "clearly delineated border" between Israel and Lebanon, Leiter says.

"We made it very clear that the security of our civilians is not up for negotiation. That is understood by the government of [Lebanon's President] Joseph Aoun.

"This was a victory for sanity, for responsibility and for peace."

He added a joint statement will be coming out and that they are working on a "complete" peace treaty.

https://news.sky.com/story/iran-war-latest-254-people-killed-by-israeli-strikes-in-lebanon-today-says-civil-defence-service-13509565

He said because Iran and Hezbollah weakened Lebanese gov emboldened to meet them
Holidaying in each others counties is not a dream and could happen

Some good news at long last

" the only time we cross each others borders is in suits to conduct business or bathing suits to go on holiday " ... can't see that happening any time soon tbh.

However, it's good news that the talks seem to be have been very positive. I'm looking forward to the joint statement, and hope there will be a ceasefire soon.

I don’t think the Lebanese nor the Israelis have any hatred for each other.
The problem is the Islamists.

Joint Statement by the United States, Israel, and Lebanon:

The United States congratulated the two countries on this historic milestone and expressed its support for further talks, and for the Government of Lebanon’s plans to restore the monopoly of force and to end Iran’s overbearing influence.

The United States expressed its hope that talks can exceed the scope of the 2024 agreement and bring about a comprehensive peace deal. The United States expressed its support for Israel's right to defend itself from Hezbollah’s continued attacks. The United States affirmed that any agreement to cease hostilities must be reached between the two governments, brokered by the United States, and not through any separate track. The United States underscored that these negotiations have the potential to unlock significant reconstruction assistance and economic recovery for Lebanon and expand investment opportunities for both countries.

The State of Israel expressed its support for disarming all non-state terror groups and dismantle all terror infrastructure in Lebanon and expressed its commitment to working with the Government of Lebanon to achieve that goal to ensure security for the people of both countries. Israel expressed its commitment to engage in direct negotiations to resolve all outstanding issues and achieve a durable peace that will strengthen security, stability and prosperity in the region.

The State of Lebanon reaffirmed the urgent need for the full implementation of the cessation of hostilities announcement of November 2024, underscoring the principles of territorial integrity and full state sovereignty, while calling for a ceasefire and concrete measures to address and alleviate the severe humanitarian crisis that the country continues to endure as a result of the ongoing conflict.

All sides agreed to launch direct negotiations at a mutually agreed time and venue.

jewishvirtuallibrary.org/joint-statement-on-us-brokered-israel-lebanon-talks-and-the-path-forward

I'm thrilled it sounds very hopeful
It gives people something to think about and aim for ,why keep Hezbollah going when we have prosperity and peace. A ladder to climb up.

Security cabinet said weighing one-week Lebanon truce to begin within days amid US pressure

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet is currently convening to discuss a temporary ceasefire in Lebanon, amid growing expectations in Jerusalem that a truce may be unavoidable, Channel 12 reports.

“Our assessment is that within a few days, we will have no choice but to fully cease fire in Lebanon,” a senior Israeli political source tells the Hebrew network, following Israeli and regional reports on the matter.

The US is exerting heavy pressure on Israel to agree to a temporary ceasefire, hoping it will support both US-backed negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, and Washington’s efforts to reach an agreement with Iran, according to the report.

An Israeli security source tells Channel 12 that while Washington seeks to de-escalate the fighting with Hezbollah, it is also sympathetic to Israeli concerns and therefore proposed a temporary ceasefire lasting one week, with the option to return to fighting if a more secure deal is not reached in that time.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/security-cabinet-said-weighing-one-week-lebanon-truce-to-begin-within-days-amid-us-pressure/

Trump posted just before midnight that the leaders of Lebanon and Israel will be holding talks “tomorrow” - likely Thursday.

I don’t think Hezbollah can be defeated militarily. Israel has not defeated Hamas despite huge civilian casualties and it is going the same way in Lebanon. History shows us it is pretty much impossible to defeat these sort of organizations if they are embedded in local communities. The key has to be the withdrawal of Iranian support, as well as increased international support for Lebanon to rebuild its infrastructure and economy, as well as take greater responsibility for the incredible number of refugees that Lebanon house (around 20% of the population).

You may be right about Hezbollah, I don't know. If that is the case then withdrawal of Iranian support for Hezbollah would be a great outcome if that can be negotiated as part of the ceasefire deal between the US and Iran.

Agree that the international community will need to give a great deal of financial support to Lebanon after the war. I imagine there would be a lot of goodwill towards the people and the country, if the problem of Hezbollah could be resolved.

From what the US said in the joint statement I posted above from the US, Israel and Lebanon: The United States underscored that these negotiations have the potential to unlock significant reconstruction assistance and economic recovery for Lebanon and expand investment opportunities for both countries.