Israel and Lebanon hold first direct negotiations in more than 30 years

Lebanese representatives e Israelis meet this Tuesday (14) in Washington for the first direct conversations between the two countries in over 30 years. The meeting, mediated by the United Statestakes place in the midst of war in the Middle East, but the strong opposition from Hezbollah he leaves few prospects for an agreement to stop the fighting.

The USA press for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, fearing that the conflict will affect negotiations with Iran that have been paralyzed since the weekend. Washington stated that “the ball is in Iran’s court” to end the war in the region, after imposing a naval blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz — he saw that Tehran had already practically closed.

Lebanon was drawn into the conflict on March 2when Hezbollah, a pro-Iran movement, opened a front against Israel, days after the start of the war on February 28 with Israeli-American attacks against Iran. So far, according to Lebanese authorities, the Israeli attacks have left more than 2 thousand dead and moved at least one million people.

The meeting in Washington — the first of its kind since 1993 — will be mediated by state secretary Marco Rubio and will be attended by Israeli ambassadors e from Lebanon in the United States. Expectations of progress are low: Hezbollah leader Naim Qasem called for the cancellation of negotiationsclassifying them as “a submission and a capitulation”. The Israeli government, in turn, ruled out any discussion of a ceasefire without the group’s disarmament.

Even so, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun expressed hope that a truce can be reached and that full negotiations between the two countries — technically at war for decades — can begin. In Beirut, residents celebrate the possibility of peace. “We are extremely tired. We have experienced many wars and we want to rest,” said Kamal Ayad, 49.

Naval blockade

As the world watches the Israel-Lebanon summit, President Donald Trump intensified pressure on Iran common naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz e threats to sink any vessel that attempts to cross the region. Iran classified the measure as “act of piracy” and warned that if its ports were threatened, “no port in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea will be safe.”

Analysts estimate that Trump seeks deprive Tehran of financial resources and, at the same time, pressure Beijing — the largest buyer of Iranian oil — to influence the Iranian regime. China has already classified the blockade as “dangerous and irresponsible”. France and the United Kingdom announced that they will host a video conference on Friday (17) with “non-belligerent countries” to discuss a defensive mission that reestablishes freedom of navigation in the region.

Despite the escalation, the agreement, agreed last Wednesday, is still in force. Trump said at the White House that he received a phone call from Iranian representatives interested in an urgent agreement. Two high-ranking Pakistani sources reported that Islamabad is working to organize a new round of negotiations between Iran e USA.

Iranian state television reported that President Masoud Pezeshkian told his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, that Tehran “will continue to dialogue only within the framework of international law.”

Pause in nuclear enrichment

Trump insists that any deal must include a permanent ban on nuclear weapons to Iran. According to press vehicles, the US asked for suspension for 20 years of the Iranian uranium enrichment program. Tehran only proposed five years suspensionoffer rejected by Washington.

Diplomatic efforts are intensifying on other fronts: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Beijing this Tuesday, after talks with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who is also in the Chinese capital, said after meeting with President Xi Jinping that China could play an “important” role in finding diplomatic solutions to the conflict.

*With information from AFP