US EditionLebanese president, Hezbollah split over expanded talks with Israel
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun defends expanded talks with Israel to halt hostilities and resolve disputes while Hezbollah deems sending civilian envoys a strategic mistake.
- On Dec 5, President Joseph Aoun defended expanding talks with Israel to avoid violence, while Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem called the move a blunder, warning, `You offered a free concession that will not change anything in the enemy's position or its attacks.`
- Over the last year, military officials have met in a U.S.-chaired military committee monitoring the 2024 truce, and on Wednesday civilian envoys from Israel and Lebanon joined to broaden talks.
- Israel has continued air strikes, saying they target Hezbollah's attempts to re-arm, while a Lebanese civil defense member stood on rubble after strikes hit two southern Lebanese towns in Jbaa on Dec. 4, 2025.
- Fears are growing that Israel could expand its air campaign to pressure the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah, which has warned of internal strife if confronted.
- More than 70 years of enmity still shape the talks as Lebanon and Israel, official enemies, expand discussions under United States pressure linked to President Donald Trump's agenda.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raghi said today that the appointment of a civilian representative, former Lebanese ambassador to the United States Simon Keram, to the negotiating mechanism with Israel is a "positive step."
Lebanese President, Hezbollah Split Over Expanded Talks With Israel
Islamist Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem welcomes Lebanon's talks with Israel, but calls the fact that civilian representatives are participating in the negotiations a "misstep."
Lebanese president, Hezbollah split over expanded talks with Israel
Lebanon's president on Friday defended his decision to expand talks with Israel as a way to avoid further violence, but the head of armed group Hezbollah called it a blunder, lifting the lid on divisions at a watershed moment for the country.
Mohamed Shaker wrote in the Middle East: Ministerial sources confirmed that there is no dispute between the three Presidents, as the Lebanese-Israeli negotiations entered a new phase with the introduction of a civilian, the former Ambassador of Lebanon to Washington, counsel Simon Kerm, to chair the Lebanese delegation to the Mechanism Commission, with a view to operationalizing its meetings to reach a security agreement. Its basic basis is the …
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