Trump Announces Historic Israel-Lebanon Talks to "Get Breathing Room"

"Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon. It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years. It will happen tomorrow," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Israel and Lebanon on Tuesday held a meeting in Washington, where Israel insisted on Hezbollah's disarmament, and Lebanon called for a ceasefire and concrete measures to ease the severe humanitarian crisis resulting from the US-Israeli war with Iran, according to a statement from the US State Department.

All sides agreed to launch direct negotiations at a mutually agreed time and venue, said the statement.

The meeting marked the first major high-level engagement between Israel and Lebanon since 1993, it said.

Earlier in the day, the United States clarified that a possible ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon is not part of its negotiations with Iran, even as Washington steps up diplomatic efforts to ease tensions along Israel's northern border.

A senior administration official said the US had "not asked for" a truce in Lebanon and that it was "not part of the peace negotiations with Iran". However, the official added that President Donald Trump "would welcome the end of hostilities in Lebanon as part of a peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon".

The remarks come a day after rare direct talks between Israel and Lebanon were hosted at the State Department by Secretary of State Marco Rubio -- the first such engagement between the two countries in years.

The discussions were described by US officials as a step towards reducing tensions and potentially opening a pathway to a broader agreement.

"The United States wants to see a durable peace but did not demand an immediate ceasefire," another senior official said, outlining Washington's calibrated approach to the conflict.

Instead, the focus remains on confidence-building measures between the two sides.

"The United States' focus is on building trust between the two governments so that we can create space for a peace deal, and so that any future understandings can be durable," the official said. "Both sides need to build political momentum."

The renewed diplomatic push also comes as the US continues efforts to stabilise its fragile truce with Iran, with regional flashpoints like Lebanon seen as potential spoilers if not carefully managed.

- IANS