Lebanese, Israeli Officials Hold Rare Border Talks as Paris Push Targets Hezbollah Disarmament
Israeli and Lebanese officials are holding rare direct talks in An-Naqoura, southern Lebanon, on Friday, while a separate high-level meeting on the same crisis took place in Paris on Thursday. The two sessions are distinct—one at the border under UN auspices and one in the French capital involving international powers and Lebanon’s army chief—but both are part of a coordinated push to stabilize the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire and prevent a new war.
In Naqoura, representatives from Israel and Lebanon are meeting face-to-face under a mechanism hosted by United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and with US involvement, in only their second direct encounter in decades. Although formally framed around economic and civilian cooperation, the talks are effectively focused on keeping the fragile truce in place and managing tensions along the frontier.
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On Thursday in Paris, French, Saudi and US officials met Lebanese army commander General Rudolphe Haykal to advance a roadmap for dismantling Hezbollah’s armed presence and strengthening Lebanon’s official security forces. The Paris discussions centered on political, financial and military support that could help Beirut’s institutions implement ceasefire commitments and gradually reduce Hezbollah’s military role.
The Naqoura talks today deal with immediate deescalation and practical arrangements between the parties along the border. The Paris meeting set out the broader framework behind that calm, aiming to reinforce the Lebanese army and reshape the security balance so that the ceasefire can endure beyond the current crisis.
