President Donald Trump announced late Wednesday night that leaders of Israel and Lebanon will hold another round of their historic meetings, highlighting that it’s “been a long time” since officials from the two countries have engaged in productive conversations. Trump announced the meeting in a social media post on his Truth Social account.
“Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon,” said Trump in his post. “It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years. It will happen tomorrow.”
Representatives from Israel and Lebanon met on Tuesday in Washington, D.C., accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Michael Waltz. Also in attendance were U.S. State Department Counselor Michael Needham, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S. Nada Hamadeh Moward, and Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter, according to the Associated Press.
Before this week’s negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, hosted by the United States, representatives from those countries had not had any face-to-face “high-level engagement” since 1993. Those conversations, however, were not reportedly had among national leaders. It is unclear whether any additional representatives will join the next round of conversations, as Trump did not provide the names of each country’s diplomats attending.
“The participants held productive discussions on steps toward launching direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon,” noted a release issued by the State Department. “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.”
After the meeting, the U.S. specified that any ceasefire or peace deal between Lebanon and Israel must be “brokered by the U.S.” The State Department also touted that such negotiations would yield considerable economic benefits for each country, in addition to ending hostilities.
“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,” read the State Department release. “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.”