Israel and the U.S. Believe Hezbollah Is Trying to Derail Jerusalem-Beirut Talks

In Israel and the U.S., officials believe tonight (Saturday night) that Hezbollah is increasing its fire toward northern Israel in order to drag the IDF into a wider conflict and indirectly disrupt the talks between Jerusalem and Beirut.

It should be noted that yesterday, delegations from Israel and Lebanon met at the Pentagon in the U.S. for a third round of talks. Military representatives from both countries were present on both sides. Lebanese sources told Qatar's Al-Araby channel that Lebanon will determine its position regarding the continuation of the direct negotiation process with Israel after the next round of talks, which is expected to take place this Tuesday and Wednesday in Washington. Tuesday's talks will be held at the ambassadorial level.

According to the report, yesterday's meeting at the Pentagon included discussion of steps toward dismantling Hezbollah. Israel asked the Lebanese government to cooperate and work toward disarming Hezbollah.

It was also reported before yesterday's talks that the Lebanese presidency said, "President Joseph Aoun received a phone call from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during which they discussed the situation in Lebanon. Aoun stressed the need to make every effort to reach a ceasefire, seeing it as essential for progress. Rubio reiterated the American administration's commitment to continuing the effort to build on the results of the previous meetings in Washington."

Elbridge Colby, the U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, said last night that he led the meeting between the Israeli and Lebanese envoys. According to him, "This was the first meeting between military officials as part of the series of meetings in Washington between the two countries, which began on April 16. I hosted the delegations as part of the security negotiation track, which supports the peace talks between the two countries."

Writing on X, Colby said: "We held productive talks between the militaries that will influence the discussions on the political track set for next week. We welcome these historic efforts to realize President Trump's vision of peace."