Published On 4/23/2026
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Last update: 18:01 (Mecca time)
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam urged the American administration to exert pressure on Israel with the aim of reducing its demands and ending its occupation of Lebanese lands and other violations, with Washington hosting a second meeting between the ambassadors of the two countries later today, Thursday, in the presence of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Rubio hosted a rare meeting between the two ambassadors on April 14 as part of the American mediation, considered the highest level between Lebanon and Israel in decades.
The ceasefire, which was agreed to last until Sunday, led to a noticeable decline in the pace of violence, but the attacks continued in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces took control of a buffer zone that they declared unilaterally.
Beirut is seeking to extend the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, after at least 5 people, including a journalist, were killed in Israeli raids yesterday, Wednesday.
Withdraw first
The Lebanese government has set a precondition: complete Israeli withdrawal from the territory of Lebanon, before continuing direct and serious negotiations with Israel, the objectives of which are primarily the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the return of Lebanese detained in Israel, and the demarcation of land borders.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said in statements to the Washington Post that Lebanon cannot sign any agreement that does not include a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces, nor can it coexist with what is called a “buffer zone,” where the displaced are not allowed to return to their cities and villages.
Nawaf pointed out that the state in Lebanon took bold decisions and made progress by confiscating weapons and banning Hezbollah’s military operations, stressing that the state’s monopoly on weapons is consistent with the Lebanese interest regardless of Israel’s demands, given that the state cannot have two armies, according to his statements.
Disarming Hezbollah and ending the manifestations of carrying weapons outside the army represents one of the most complex tasks facing the state in Lebanon in light of Hezbollah’s adherence to what it considers “the right to resist against the Israeli occupation.”
Nawaf said, “Disarmament is a process that cannot happen overnight, but the most important thing is that we have shown seriousness about it.” In his statements, the Prime Minister appealed to Washington and Paris to help strengthen its support for the army, which is suffering from financial hardship in terms of equipment and training.
He also appealed to international partners to provide funds to confront the humanitarian tragedy and meet the reconstruction needs in Lebanon.
Hezbollah’s reservations
Before the start of the second meeting, Hassan Fadlallah, a representative of Hezbollah, said that the party wants the ceasefire to continue, but on the basis of full commitment from Israel. In a televised press conference, he reiterated the party’s objection to direct talks and urged the government to “stop all forms of direct communication with the enemy.”
The fighting between Hezbollah and Israel was renewed on March 2, when the party participated in support of Iran in confronting America and Israel. The ceasefire in Lebanon came in isolation from Washington’s efforts to resolve its conflict with Tehran, although Iran called for Lebanon to be included in any broader truce.
However, Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon continued frequently. Yesterday, Wednesday, the largest number of deaths occurred in Lebanon since the ceasefire entered into force on April 16, including Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil. For its part, Hezbollah said that it carried out 4 operations in southern Lebanon yesterday in response to the Israeli raids.
According to the latest update by the Lebanese authorities, about 2,500 Lebanese have been killed since Israel launched raids on Lebanon on March 2.
Israel occupies a belt of land extending from 5 to 10 kilometers inside southern Lebanon, and says that the aim of this is to protect areas in the north from attacks by Hezbollah, which fired hundreds of missiles towards it during the war.
The Israeli army repeated its warning to residents of southern Lebanon against crossing into that area. Tel Aviv says its goals in the talks with Lebanon include ensuring the dismantling of Hezbollah and creating conditions for reaching a peace agreement.
Lebanon after UNIFIL
For its part, the United Nations said that it is working to maintain its presence in Lebanon after the end of the mission of its forces in the south of the country (UNIFIL) at the end of this year, according to what the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, announced.
Lacroix said, in a press conference in Geneva on Thursday, that the UN Security Council requested “options for a possible presence of the United Nations after UNIFIL,” adding, “We must submit these recommendations… before June 1 of this year.”
In recent weeks, UNIFIL lost 3 Indonesian soldiers and two French soldiers. Last August, under pressure from the United States and Israel, the Security Council decided to withdraw its forces by 2027, which some consider a hasty decision.
UNIFIL has been working to maintain peace between Israel and Lebanon since 1978, and often comes under fire from the warring parties.
The force includes about 8,200 soldiers from 47 countries. Its mandate, which is renewed annually by the Security Council, expires on December 31, 2026.
