US envoy: Potential Aoun-Netanyahu meeting would be opportunity for Lebanon, not concession

By Lazar Berman

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4 May 2026, 1:02 pm

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Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter

US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa arrives at the Lebanese ministry of foreign affairs' headquarters to meet Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, in Beirut on November 17, 2025. (Anwar AMRO / AFP)

A meeting between Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not be a “loss or concession” for Lebanon, says US envoy to Beirut Michel Issa.

“Is Netanyahu some kind of bogeyman? He is just another negotiating party,” he tells reporters, according to Lebanese media.

With Lebanese leaders at odds over the prospect of talks, the US embassy has been pushing hard to convince Aoun to accept a meeting with Netanyahu in Washington, arguing that it could restore government sovereignty to the entire country.

Issa argues that a trip by Aoun to the White House would give him the opportunity to present Lebanon’s demands, especially that “every inch of Lebanon remains and returns to Lebanon.”