(JNS) Israel is dispatching an official to talks in Lebanon as “a first attempt to create a basis for economic relations and cooperation” between the two countries, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office announced on Wednesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed Acting National Security Council head Gil Reich “to send a representative on his behalf to a meeting with government-economic officials in Lebanon,” it said.
The announcement came a day after the Israel Defense Forces warned that the Hezbollah terror group is rapidly rebuilding its capabilities in Lebanon despite ongoing airstrikes since a truce took hold last year.
The ceasefire went into effect on Nov. 27, 2024 following an intense two-month IDF military campaign that led to the weakening of the Iranian proxy’s leadership. The deal was cemented by the Israeli and Lebanese governments and five mediating countries, including the United States.
The Trump administration has set Dec. 31, 2025, as the deadline for the Lebanese government to disarm the terror group, Israel Hayom cited diplomatic sources with knowledge of the matter as saying last week.
According to a Channel 12 report on Tuesday, Beirut has been aware of the attempts to rebuild but is turning a blind eye, despite having voted some three months ago to bring all weapons under state control.
US deputy Middle East envoy Morgan Ortagus on Tuesday met Israeli officials in Jerusalem, including Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.
Sa’ar called it a “good discussion on the situation in Lebanon,” telling Ortagus that “the one violating Lebanese sovereignty is Hezbollah,” and that disarmament “is crucial for Lebanon’s future and Israel’s security.”
The IDF’s military victory over Hezbollah could open up the “possibility of peace with our neighbors to the north,” Netanyahu stated on Sept. 21.
“In any case, these talks, as well as the contacts with Lebanon, would not have been possible without our crushing victories on the northern front and also on other fronts,” the premier said at a Cabinet meeting.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajj told Lebanon’s MTV television station last month that the “military solution” has not worked with Israel, so Beirut should pursue a political-diplomatic option.
Asked if he would consider direct negotiations with the Jewish state, Rajj said, “Whatever it takes. Personally, I have no taboos. I will accept whatever the government decides, without any problem.”
“It is in our interest that UNSC Resolutions 1701 and 1559, and even the cessation of hostilities, are implemented,” the top diplomat told MTV.
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