JERUSALEM: Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives held their first direct talks in decades on Wednesday, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. The meeting took place under a year-old ceasefire monitoring mechanism aimed at overseeing the conflict with Hezbollah.
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The talks were held at the UN peacekeeping force headquarters in Naqura, near the Israel-Lebanon border. Until now, both countries, which have no formal diplomatic relations, had only allowed military officers to participate in ceasefire discussions.
The Israeli government confirms that the first direct talks between Israeli and Lebanese civilian representatives in decades took place today, as part of a year-old ceasefire monitoring mechanism in the war with Hezbollah.#Israel #Lebanon pic.twitter.com/NlauuV2QYb
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) December 3, 2025
“Today’s meeting in Lebanon is an initial attempt to establish a basis for a relationship and economic cooperation between Israel and Lebanon. This is a historic development,” said Shosh Bedrosian, a spokeswoman for Netanyahu. She added that the discussions marked a first step toward paving a path with Lebanon and acknowledged the country’s economic challenges.
The United States, which has been urging Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah, welcomed the inclusion of civilian representatives. Morgan Ortagus, the US special envoy for Lebanon, attended the talks alongside former Lebanese ambassador to the US Simon Karam and Israeli National Security Council official Uri Resnick. The US embassy said the move “reflects the Mechanism’s commitment to facilitating political and military discussions to achieve security, stability, and a durable peace.”
Lebanon and Israel held their first direct talks in over 40 years during a US-chaired ceasefire meeting in Naqoura, as fears of war intensify https://t.co/iKdjPF6pcu pic.twitter.com/QCLfPgOSp3
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) December 4, 2025
The talks come amid broader regional efforts to stabilise relations, including the Abraham Accords, under which several Arab and Muslim countries have normalised ties with Israel. Netanyahu has repeatedly called on Lebanon to join the accords.
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Historically, Israel and Lebanon held direct talks in 1983 following Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, resulting in an agreement to establish relations that was never ratified. Wednesday’s civilian-level discussions mark the first concrete steps in decades toward opening channels for dialogue and cooperation between the two neighbours.