Israeli and Lebanese envoys are set to meet in Washington on Tuesday in a rare U.S.-driven diplomatic effort to halt escalating violence between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon.
The talks come just hours after Israel carried out what Lebanese officials described as one of the deadliest strikes on Beirut in recent weeks, part of a widening air campaign that has intensified across Lebanon.
Washington has pushed both sides to step back from further escalation, amid fears the conflict could widen across the region.
The latest round of violence began after Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel on 2 March, shortly after wider regional tensions flared during the U.S.-Israeli confrontation with Iran.
Israel responded with intensified airstrikes and later expanded ground operations into southern Lebanon, ordering large-scale evacuations from areas it considers Hezbollah strongholds.
Since then, the fighting has been severe. Lebanese authorities say nearly 2,000 people have been killed, while Israel says Hezbollah rocket fire has killed at least two people.
The current war follows earlier clashes in 2024, when a U.S.-brokered deal attempted to limit Hezbollah’s military capabilities. Since then, Lebanon has tried - with limited success - to restrict the group’s weapons, while Israel has continued strikes on suspected Hezbollah targets.
Hezbollah, however, insists its arsenal is a deterrent and refuses calls to disarm, arguing it remains essential to Lebanon’s defence.
Diplomatic movement began after Lebanon’s president, Joseph Aoun, signalled willingness to open direct talks with Israel. Initially, Israel dismissed the idea as premature, saying Beirut lacked the ability to act decisively against Hezbollah.
But the diplomatic picture shifted following a U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement and renewed pressure from Washington for de-escalation. According to officials, Donald Trump urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to scale back attacks on Hezbollah, paving the way for negotiations.
Shortly afterwards, Netanyahu confirmed Israel would engage in talks with Lebanon.
The meeting is expected to bring together Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, and Lebanon’s ambassador, Nada Hamadeh Moawad.
However, there is confusion over the scope and format of the discussions. Lebanese officials say the meeting will focus on establishing a ceasefire framework and preparing the ground for broader negotiations under U.S. mediation.
Israel’s embassy in Washington has described the process more ambitiously, calling it the start of “formal peace negotiations” and insisting it will not discuss a ceasefire with Hezbollah directly.
Key political figures, including senior negotiators on both sides, are not expected to attend this initial round.
Lebanon is entering the talks under pressure at home and abroad. Officials insist that a ceasefire must come first before any wider political negotiations can begin.
At the same time, Beirut is facing internal divisions over Hezbollah’s role. The Lebanese government has recently moved to restrict the group’s military activity, but Hezbollah remains deeply embedded in the country’s political and social fabric.
Any attempt to disarm it is widely seen as risky in a fragile state still shaped by the legacy of its 1975–90 civil war.
Despite decades of hostility and no formal diplomatic relations, the two sides have held indirect and U.S.-brokered contacts in the past.
In 2022, talks helped establish a maritime border deal. More recently, limited discussions followed the 2024 conflict.
But direct political engagement of this kind remains rare, underscoring both the seriousness of the current escalation and the urgency of Washington’s diplomatic push.
Tuesday’s meeting is unlikely to produce a breakthrough on its own. Instead, it is being viewed as an initial step - testing whether both sides are willing to move from battlefield escalation towards structured negotiations.
With fighting still ongoing and positions far apart, the prospects for a lasting agreement remain uncertain.
Iranian and U.S. negotiating teams were due in Doha this week, but Iran said on Monday no meeting had been scheduled as weekend missile fire from both...
The latest AnewZ investigative documentary examines how Emmanuel Macron’s promise to break with France’s old political habits collided with diplom...
Iranian and Qatari delegations are expected to meet on Wednesday in Doha to discuss the release of Tehran's assets, estimated at $12 billion, that wer...
Pakistan has responded to a deadly Karachi Rangers compound attack with cross-border strikes and diplomatic protests against Afghanistan, signalling a...
A severe heatwave in France has overwhelmed funeral services and mortuary storage facilities, with undertakers reporting they are unable to cope with ...
The latest AnewZ investigative documentary examines how Emmanuel Macron’s promise to break with France’s old political habits collided with diplomatic setbacks in Africa and legal fallout surrounding figures once close to the Élysée.
Pakistan has responded to a deadly Karachi Rangers compound attack with cross-border strikes and diplomatic protests against Afghanistan, signalling a tougher counterterrorism stance towards militants it says are based there.
A severe heatwave in France has overwhelmed funeral services and mortuary storage facilities, with undertakers reporting they are unable to cope with a surge in deaths linked to extreme temperatures.
Greek rescue teams searched on Tuesday after a four-storey apartment building collapsed in the Petralona district of Athens. Four people initially feared trapped were later found safe, while search operations continued as a precaution.
Iranian and U.S. negotiating teams were due in Doha this week, but Iran said on Monday no meeting had been scheduled as weekend missile fire from both sides tested the interim ceasefire to end the four-month-old war.
Rescue teams raced on Sunday to find more survivors of the two powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela this week, with signs of life bringing occasional relief to a grim quest to whittle down a list of tens of thousands missing.
The U.S. and Iran have agreed to 'stand down' and resume technical talks, allowing vessels allowed to move freely under the interim peace deal, a U.S. official said.
Six adults were killed in a shooting at a youth welfare facility in northern Germany on Monday, with police detaining two people, including the suspected gunman.
Azerbaijan has criticised Israel’s recent decision to recognise the 1915 events involving Armenians as genocide, warning against politicising historical narratives. The response comes after Israel’s cabinet approved the proposal, which still requires parliamentary ratification.
The Kyrgyz government has tightened oversight of the country's fuel market, introducing stricter monitoring measures to prevent petroleum shortages and ensure stable supplies amid continuing geopolitical uncertainty.
China and several Central Asian countries have agreed to develop a joint satellite constellation to monitor natural disasters, track environmental change and improve regional disaster preparedness through shared remote-sensing data.
International calls for restraint are growing after the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said Pakistani airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan killed at least 28 civilians and injured 49 others on Sunday (28 June).
Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan are advancing plans for a new energy corridor beneath the Caspian Sea that could carry renewable electricity from Central Asia to Europe, linking the region's growing clean energy sector with European markets.
Afghanistan has been ranked last among 194 countries in the KidsRights Index 2026, as the Dutch-based foundation warned that children’s rights are facing growing pressure worldwide.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment