Israel-Lebanon Diplomatic Meeting on Hezbollah

Israeli and Lebanese envoys, Yechiel Leiter and Nada Hamadeh Moawad, are meeting in Washington, D.C., on April 14, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in attendance. This rare diplomatic encounter aims to address the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Lebanon, led by President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, is seeking a ceasefire, while Israel, through spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa ar, is ruling out a ceasefire and demanding that Lebanon disarm the Iran-backed Hezbollah and demilitarize southern Lebanon, also seeking a peace agreement. Hezbollah, whose leader Naim Qassem has called for the meeting's cancellation, initiated the current conflict by opening fire on Israel on March 2, leading to an Israeli offensive that has resulted in over 2,000 deaths and 1.2 million displacements in Lebanon, and 13 Israeli soldiers and two civilians killed by Hezbollah attacks. The Lebanese government has banned Hezbollah's military wing. This meeting occurs a week after a fragile ceasefire between the United States, Israel, and Iran, with Pakistan also mediating in the wider conflict. U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would 'low-key it' in Lebanon.