TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Civil representatives of Lebanon and Israel held their first direct talks on Wednesday after four decades. This is part of a ceasefire monitoring mechanism that has been ongoing for a year with the armed group Hezbollah, revealed a source close to the talks as quoted by CNA.
The meeting took place at the UN peacekeeping force headquarters in Lebanon, Naqura, near the border with Israel, the source said, as part of the mechanism to oversee the ceasefire that began in November 2024.
However, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam warned that this new diplomatic contact would not lead to broader peace discussions.
Lebanon and Israel are technically still at war since 1948, but PM Salam said that the new discussions are only limited to the full implementation of last year's ceasefire.
"We are not yet at peace talks," Salam told reporters as reported by Arab News.
He said the talks only pursued "the cessation of hostilities," "the release of Lebanese hostages," and "the complete Israeli withdrawal" from Lebanon.
Israel continues to launch air strikes on Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah members and facilities. Tel Aviv also insists on maintaining forces in five areas in southern Lebanon despite a ceasefire provision requiring a complete withdrawal of forces.
So far, Israel and Lebanon, which do not have formal diplomatic relations, insist on limiting participation in the ceasefire mechanism only to military officers.
Civil Participation
Lebanese President's office Joseph Aoun also said on Wednesday that its delegation would be led by former ambassador Simon Karam and had been informed that Israel would include "a non-military member in its delegation."
The appointment of a civilian representative on the Lebanese side came after Beirut expressed readiness to negotiate with its southern neighbor.
Salam said Lebanon remains committed to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative - which offers full normalization of relations with Israel in return for a complete Israeli withdrawal from the territories it occupied in 1967 - and does not intend to make a separate peace agreement with Israel.
The participation of civilian envoys can help "defuse tensions," he said as reported by Al Jazeera, emphasizing that recent deadly Israeli air strikes are a clear sign of escalating tensions.
The committee met for about three hours along the Blue Line - the border between Lebanon and Israel.
A statement issued afterwards welcomed the addition of civilian envoys as a "important step" to reinforce the process in "lasting civilian as well as military dialogue," and said the committee hopes to "nurture peace" along the long-troubled border.
The US Embassy welcomed the involvement of civilian representatives - former Lebanese ambassador to the US Simon Karam and Israeli National Security Council official Uri Resnick - in the ceasefire mechanism.
Presence of US Envoys
Morgan Ortagus, US Special Envoy for Lebanon, also attended the meeting on Wednesday, the source added. The United States has increased pressure on Lebanon to immediately disarm Hezbollah.
Ortagus' participation came a day after her visit to Jerusalem where she met with Israeli Foreign Minister Gidon Saar. Israeli media reported that she also met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
So far, Israel and Lebanon, which do not have formal diplomatic relations, insist on maintaining military officers in that role.
The US has pushed for direct talks between the two neighboring countries in an effort to stabilize the region and further weaken Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Netanyahu's office announced that he will send a civilian representative to meet officials in Lebanon, in what it called a first attempt to build a basis of relations between the two countries.
Violation of Ceasefire
Netanyahu has repeatedly urged Lebanon to join the Abraham Accords, where several Arab and Muslim countries have normalized relations with Israel.
The Israeli Prime Minister "instructed the Acting National Security Council Director to send a representative on his behalf to a meeting with government and economic officials in Lebanon," according to a statement from Netanyahu's office.
"the first attempt to establish a foundation for relations and economic cooperation between Israel and Lebanon," it added.
This announcement comes days after the first anniversary of the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah began.
The ceasefire with Hezbollah ended hostilities for over a year that erupted after the militant group launched an attack in support of its Palestinian ally, Hamas.
Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon despite the ceasefire, claiming to target Hezbollah members and infrastructure to stop the group from rebuilding its military capabilities.
Based on a government-approved plan, the Lebanese military will dismantle Hezbollah's military infrastructure in the southern river by the end of the year, before targeting the entire country's area.
Claiming Lebanon's efforts are not adequate, Israel has acted unilaterally and increased its military aggression in the past few weeks.
On the anniversary of the ceasefire, the Israeli military stated it had carried out about 1,200 "targeted activities" and "eliminated more than 370 militants" from Hezbollah, Hamas, and other Palestinian groups, a violation of the ceasefire.
Read: UN Votes to Tell Israel to Leave Gaza, West Bank
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