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How Lebanon Is Working to Avoid an Aoun-Netanyahu Meeting
Numerous proposals are being explored among Lebanon, the United States, several Arab and Western countries, and Israel in an effort to avert a direct meeting between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In parallel, discussions are underway on how to reactivate the ceasefire Monitoring Mechanism — a development reflected in the swift visit to Beirut by the committee's chair, Joseph Clairfield, and his meeting with Army Commander Rudolf Haikal. In a related development, preparations are advancing for a third meeting between the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors in Washington in the coming days, aimed at consolidating the ceasefire before direct negotiations between Lebanese and Israeli delegations formally begin. A Trump Meeting as Political Cover for Aoun There is broad international and American recognition that Lebanon cannot sustain any direct meeting between Netanyahu and Aoun at this stage — a meeting that would trigger a domestic political explosion. Against this backdrop, proposals are circulating for President Aoun to be invited to meet U.S. President Donald Trump in a bilateral format, after which Trump would meet Netanyahu separately and announce a clear position outlining the broad parameters for Lebanon-Israel negotiations, with an explicit emphasis on the need to halt military operations, end the war, and negotiate both an Israeli withdrawal and the disarmament of Hezbollah. The proposal is driven by a desire to reinforce Aoun's political standing domestically and to shield him from embarrassment, with any meeting between Aoun and Netanyahu deferred until a formal agreement is announced. Reactivating the Monitoring Mechanism Alongside these efforts — and as Lebanon has continued to press for the activation of the Monitoring Mechanism while demanding an end to Israeli strikes, military operations, and demolition and detonation activities — Clairfield's visit to Beirut and his meeting with Haikal served multiple purposes. The first was to examine how to revive the committee's work as an alternative to the continuation of Israeli military operations: under this framework, Israel would halt its operations in the South while the committee, in coordination with the Lebanese army, would enter sites Israel considers to contain weapons, with a view to removing and dismantling them. Second, there is a U.S. preference for restricting the Monitoring Mechanism to Lebanon, Israel, and the United States, effectively...
US ambassador meets Lebanese leaders as Washington urges meeting with ...
US ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, met Lebanese officials on Friday, a day after Washington pushed for a meeting between Lebanese and Israeli leaders, as Israel continues strikes in southern Lebanon despite a ceasefire.Mr Issa held talks with President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, reiterating US support for Lebanon and its state institutions, according to a readout from the Lebanese presidency.Both Mr Aoun and Mr Salam stressed the need to consolidate the fragile ceasefire. Mr Aoun called for a halt to attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, ahead of further meetings in Washington aimed at securing stability along the border, the presidency said.Lebanese and Israeli representatives met twice in Washington last month – the first such contacts in decades – after the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into the regional war on March 2, triggering heavy Israeli bombardment and a ground offensive in the south.Following the first round of talks, US President Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire starting on April 17, later extended by three weeks after the second round of discussions.Mr Trump said he would invite Mr Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House for talks as the two countries prepare for direct negotiations.The planned talks have caused a rift in Lebanon. Hezbollah firmly opposed to face-to-face talks with Israel, as well as previous commitments by Beirut to disarm it."Lebanon stands at a crossroads. Its people have a historic opportunity to reclaim their country and shape their future as a truly sovereign, independent nation," the US embassy in Lebanon said on Thursday, adding that "the time for hesitation is over".A direct meeting between Mr Aoun and Mr Netanyahu, "facilitated by President Trump, would give Lebanon the chance to secure concrete guarantees on full sovereignty, territorial integrity, secure borders, humanitarian and reconstruction support, and the complete restoration of Lebanese state authority over every inch of its territory – guaranteed by the United States", the statement added.Saudi termsSaudi Arabia, which has stepped up diplomatic engagement in Lebanon, is broadly aligned with US efforts to stabilise the country internally, a political source close to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri told The National. Mr Berri, a key Shiite figure and Hezbollah ally, often mediates between the group and external actors. “The Saudi proposal is to revive the troika br...
Trump Agrees To Include Lebanon In Regional Ceasefire With Israel And ...
Key Takeaways Lebanon is included in the regional ceasefire plan with Israel. Direct talks between Aoun and Netanyahu urged, expected within two weeks. Washington-facilitated meeting would secure Lebanon's sovereignty guarantees.
US Pushes Aoun-Netanyahu Summit as Lebanon Ceasefire Frays
Beirut — The United States on Thursday urged a direct meeting between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed at least 17 people despite an ongoing ceasefire, deepening tensions over efforts to launch formal negotiations between the two countries. The appeal came as Washington sought...
