Lebanon and Israel hold first direct talks in decades

On December 3, civilian representatives from Lebanon and Israel held their first direct talks in decades, part of a mechanism to monitor a ceasefire established a year ago in the conflict with Hezbollah.

A building destroyed after an Israeli airstrike in Deir Kifa, southern Lebanon. Photo: THX/TTXVN

The meeting took place at the UN peacekeeping headquarters in Naqura, Lebanon, near the border with Israel, the sources said. Morgan Ortagus, the US special envoy to Lebanon, also attended the meeting, the sources added.

Israel and Lebanon have no formal diplomatic relations. In an earlier statement, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would send a civilian representative to meet with Lebanese officials, in the first attempt to lay the groundwork for relations between the two countries. For its part, the office of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the Beirut delegation would be led by former ambassador to the United States Simon Karam.

The talks between the two countries are part of a mechanism to monitor the ceasefire, which will take effect from November 2024, to end the conflict in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah, as well as to build peaceful relations between the two neighbors, with the issue of disarming Hezbollah being the focus. However, in recent weeks, tensions in Lebanon have increased significantly. The Israeli army (IDF) has stepped up attacks on Hezbollah targets along the border and deep inside Lebanon. Notably, on November 23, the IDF carried out an airstrike on Beirut, killing Chief of Staff Haytham Ali Tabatabai, one of Hezbollah's most senior military figures. The incident is considered a significant escalation and raises concerns about the risk of a large-scale conflict, especially as the December deadline approaches, when the Lebanese army must complete the disarming of Hezbollah in the south of the country.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/liban-va-israel-lan-dau-doi-thoai-truc-tiep-sau-nhieu-thap-ky-407017.html