Lebanon seeks direct peace talks with Israel, US and Israel skeptical — report

The Lebanese government recently proposed, through the Trump administration, holding direct negotiations with Israel aimed at ending its war with Hezbollah and possibly reaching a peace agreement with Beirut, five sources familiar with the matter tell Axios.

Both Jerusalem and Washington responded skeptically to the proposal, according to sources, including a US official, an Israeli official, and three sources with direct knowledge of the matter.

The Lebanese government was said to approach US envoy Tom Barrack — who worked on the Lebanon file last year but has been less active in recent months — last week, asking him to mediate with Israel. Beirut reportedly claimed that some Hezbollah members were open to a deal and proposed holding direct talks with Israel at the ministerial level in Cyprus.

Barrack was said to respond that the Lebanese government must “stop with the bullshit” on disarming Hezbollah in order to move forward. “If it’s not real action about Hezbollah’s weapons, there’s no point,” a source told Axios.

Jerusalem rebuffed the proposal, saying that it was too late and that its military is currently focused on eliminating Hezbollah, the sources said. According to Israel’s Channel 12, it is still examining the offer.

Some sources add that Lebanese Army chief Gen. Rodolphe Haykal has resisted deploying troops against Hezbollah while fighting continues, despite the army’s stated commitment to disarming the terror group. This has reportedly prompted pressure from Washington on Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to remove Haykal.

Lebanese officials are increasingly frustrated that the Trump administration has largely ignored their outreach, leaving little room for mediation or peace talks with Israel, the sources said.

“There is no interest from the Trump administration to deal with Lebanon,” one source with knowledge told Axios.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office does not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report.

An Israeli official told The Washington Post in an earlier report that Israel is “willing to engage with Lebanese officials [to] reach agreement on a ceasefire,” though the official made no indication that any Lebanese proposal had been made.