Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives held their first direct talks on Wednesday in decades, part of a year-old ceasefire monitoring mechanism in the war with the militant group Hezbollah, a source close to the talks said.
The meeting was taking place at the UN peacekeeping force’s headquarters in Naqura, Lebanon, near the border with Israel, the source said, as part of a mechanism to oversee the ceasefire that took hold in November 2024.
Morgan Ortagus, the US special envoy for Lebanon, also attended Wednesday’s meeting, the source added. The United States has been piling pressure on Lebanon to rapidly disarm Hezbollah.
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Ortagus was a day earlier in Jerusalem where she met Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. Israeli media said she also met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Until now, Israel and Lebanon, which have no formal diplomatic relations, have insisted on keeping military officers in the role.
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