Description: After more than two decades, Israeli and Lebanese officials met in Washington where US secretary of state and Trump’s national security advisor, Marco Rubio, hosted the meeting. Lebanon was represented by its ambassador to the US, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, as was Israel, who was represented by its ambassador to the US, Yachiel Leiter. The Israeli delegation stated that Lebanon has shown some flexibility in the negotiations despite the vastly differentiating points of negotiation. Israel demands complete disarmament and disbandment of Hezbollah while Lebanon demands and immediate ceasefire of Israeli military operations which have so far resulted in more than two thousand civilian deaths and countless infrastructural destruction in south Lebanon. The parties agreed to meet at their own convenience for future negotiations which Rubio has labeled as highly productive and necessary.
Impact: Hezbollah’s entrenchment within the Lebanese state represents an insurmountable obstacle for the government in Beirut, both operationally and politically. Israel is currently uninterested in the cessation of its military operations under the guise of defending itself while also outlining unachievable goals for potential cessation of hostilities. Lebanon’s lackluster operational and political influence over Hezbollah positions the government in Beirut in a precarious situation where it’s unable to exert any immediate influence to appease Israel’s demands. Future negotiations in any format would highly unlikely bring any immediate or mid – term progress on any field of contention as Israel repeatedly refused to include Lebanon in the temporary ceasefire between US and Iran, while Lebanon is simply not capable enough of counteracting decades of Hezbollah’s influence in the country.