President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the leaders of Israel and Lebanon will speak to each other on Thursday for the first time in 34 years. The announcement came a day after Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors held their first direct diplomatic meeting in more than three decades in Washington.
Why it matters: Israel and Lebanon have had no formal diplomatic relations since 1982. Direct talks between heads of state represent a significant shift, even as Israeli military operations in Lebanon continue and more than 2,000 people have been killed.
Who is talking
Trump did not specify which leaders would participate, and neither Israel nor Lebanon issued official comment. However, a member of Israel’s security cabinet told Army Radio that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will speak with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
The call follows a meeting between the two countries’ ambassadors in Washington that was itself described as historic.
The context
Israel’s cabinet met on Wednesday to discuss a possible ceasefire in Lebanon, more than six weeks into its renewed military campaign against Hezbollah. Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed more than 2,000 people since the latest conflict began.
Lebanon is seeking an end to the attacks. Trump said he is “trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon.”
Regional dynamics
The talks come against the backdrop of the broader US-Iran conflict and the Strait of Hormuz blockade. A ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon would remove one front from the wider regional crisis, potentially creating space for progress on the Iran negotiations set to resume in Islamabad.
What to watch
Whether the call produces a formal ceasefire framework or remains a diplomatic gesture. Lebanon’s government must balance domestic pressure from Hezbollah with the opportunity that direct talks represent. Israel faces its own internal debate over whether to accept a ceasefire while Hezbollah’s military capacity remains intact.