Diplomats from Israel and Lebanon met on Wednesday in Naqoura, along their shared border, for the first direct talks between the two countries in nearly three decades. The meeting, facilitated by the U.S., focused on exploring economic cooperation to stabilize southern Lebanon and strengthen confidence between the sides.
The talks come amid rising tensions, following the Israeli military’s recent airstrike in Beirut that killed Hezbollah’s top military commander, Haytham Ali Tabatabai. While Israel has criticized Lebanon for not sufficiently curbing Hezbollah’s military buildup, Lebanese officials condemned the strikes, saying they undermine the army’s efforts and demanded Israel withdraw from several outposts near the border. The meeting, held on the sidelines of the monthly ceasefire monitoring sessions led by the U.S. military, centered on small joint economic projects for war-affected areas, with longer-term plans for a potential “Trump economic zone” free of heavy weapons and Hezbollah presence. U.S. officials said both sides plan to reconvene before the new year with concrete proposals to advance economic cooperation while continuing work on disarming Hezbollah.