Israel said Wednesday that its first direct discussions with Lebanon in more than four decades were held in a “positive atmosphere,” raising cautious hopes for progress between the two countries, which remain technically at war.
The talks took place during a meeting of the ceasefire monitoring mechanism in southern Lebanon © Mena Today
Israel said Wednesday that its first direct discussions with Lebanon in more than four decades were held in a “positive atmosphere,” raising cautious hopes for progress between the two countries, which remain technically at war.
According to a statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the meeting “was conducted in a positive atmosphere, and it was agreed to develop ideas to promote potential economic cooperation between Israel and Lebanon.”
The statement also reiterated that the disarmament of Hezbollah remains “essential” from Israel’s perspective.
The talks took place during a meeting of the ceasefire monitoring mechanism in southern Lebanon, bringing together civilian officials from both sides. It marked the first direct encounter between Lebanese and Israeli representatives in over 40 years.
While no concrete agreements were announced, the fact that both countries described the meeting as constructive was widely noted as a rare diplomatic opening in a context long dominated by tension, conflict, and proxy confrontations.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Wednesday that a lasting peace with Israel could pave the way to normalising ties with the country and establishing economic ties but that those milestones remained far off given current tensions.
The Rafah crossing will open in the next few days to let Gaza residents cross into Egypt, COGAT, the Israeli military's arm that oversees aid flows, said on Wednesday.
Israeli forensic services concluded that remains handed over by Hamas on Tuesday were not those of the last two hostages in Gaza, the office of Israel's prime minister said.
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