US to lead ceasefire talks between Lebanon and Israel in DC as Lebanon emerges as potential spoiler in Iran deal
Washington – The US is calling diplomatic talks quickly scheduled next week in Washington, DC, in an effort to build ceasefire in Lebanonwhere Israeli forces have been attacking Iran-backed Hezbollah with airstrikes and killing Lebanese civilians.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s office is planning three talks, which will be led by US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa and Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad and Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter, according to two sources familiar with the matter and one Lebanese official. Sources described this as a discussion on how to start direct talks.
A State Department official confirmed to CBS News that representatives from both sides will meet at the department next week.
Shortly after Israel and the US went to war with Iran, Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in a show of solidarity with Tehran. Israel then launched a new offensive against Hezbollah, and attacked much of southern Lebanon.
Lebanon has emerged as one of the most difficult issues complicating the nascent US-Iran dialogue. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi – who is expected to join the upcoming talks in Islamabad – accused the US of allowing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to kill diplomacy.
Multiple media sources told CBS News that President Trump was told that the ceasefire announced Thursday would apply to the Middle East region, and he acknowledged that it included Lebanon. The negotiators believed that the cessation of hostilities would include Lebanon, and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that this was the case. Araghchi also said it was included.
On the day of the ceasefire, a White House official told CBS News that Israel has also agreed to the terms of the deal that Pakistan helped broker.
However, the US position has changed following a call between Netanyahu and Mr. Two sources familiar with the matter told CBS News that the shift in U.S. positions, along with a fragmented balance of power in Iran, makes diplomacy more difficult.
Vice President JD Vance told reporters Wednesday that there was a “legal misunderstanding” about the terms of the ceasefire, but he blamed the Iranians for not understanding that it included their forces participating in Lebanon.
But Vance also nodded to America’s desire to see Israel scale back its attacks on Lebanon. Israel, as he put it, offered himself “a little self-examination in Lebanon.”
On Thursday, Netanyahu said he agreed to allow Israeli diplomats to accept the Lebanese government’s request to hold talks. He did not give details, and insisted that there is no ceasefire in Lebanon.
Vance has emerged as a top leader in diplomacy with Iran. He was the top US official to meet with Omani negotiators who tried unsuccessfully to broker a deal to avert US-Israeli strikes that started the war in Feb. 28. US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner have led two rounds of negotiations with Iran in the past 10 months, only for those US efforts to be cut short.
Multiple media sources told CBS News that Iran welcomed Vance’s involvement mainly because the Iranians did not trust Witkoff and Kushner. Two sources told CBS News that it was Witkoff’s idea to install the vice president.
