Lebanon and Israel to send civilian officials to truce talks

Israel and Lebanon will send non-military officials to a meeting on Wednesday, in the first attempt to establish an economic relationship between the two countries.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the acting director of the National Security Council to send a representative on his behalf to a meeting with government-economic elements in Lebanon," the Israeli prime minister’s office said. 

"This is an initial attempt to establish a basis for a relationship and economic cooperation between Israel and Lebanon."

Earlier, Lebanon’s presidential office announced that Simon Karam, an attorney and former ambassador to the US, would head a delegation to meetings of a supervision committee overseeing the implementation of the 2024 ceasefire deal that ended over a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

Karam will take part in a committee meeting on Wednesday in Naqoura in southern Lebanon. It marks the first time a Lebanese civilian representative has been included in the committee. 

Until now, the committee had consisted of military representatives from Lebanon, the US, France, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. 

Lebanon does not recognise Israel, and as such has insisted on military figures overseeing the ceasefire with Israel. Lebanese military representatives have avoided direct contact with Israel’s delegation. 

Despite the signing of a ceasefire in November last year, Israel has carried out near daily attacks on Lebanon and continues to occupy five strategic areas. Thousands of people have been unable to return to their destroyed border villages due to heavy Israeli military presence and activity.

More than 300 people, including over 100 civilians, have been killed in Israeli strikes since 27 November 2024. 

Fears have been rising in Lebanon that Israel may escalate its attacks into a full-scale military operation, after Israeli leaders accused Beirut of stalling on efforts to seize Hezbollah’s weapons.