BEIRUT: Lebanon has been pressing Washington to rein in Israel’s military actions and has secured verbal guarantees that Beirut and its southern suburbs will be spared further attacks, a senior Lebanese official told Arab News on Monday.
The diplomatic efforts come as Israeli strikes intensified on Monday in the Bekaa Valley, casting doubt over the durability of a truce already under strain.
Despite the escalation, Lebanese officials insisted that progress toward negotiations is contingent on stabilizing the ceasefire.
“The transition to direct Lebanese-Israeli negotiations will not take place at this time,” the official source told Arab News, noting that discussions are on hold pending US arrangements to set the date.
Washington has not imposed conditions on Beirut, but Lebanon continues to insist on a full ceasefire as a prerequisite for entering formal talks.
The ceasefire, announced by the US State Department following the first-ever meeting between the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors in Washington on April 16, had been extended days later for three weeks after a second round of talks.
The extension briefly raised hopes of de-escalation in Lebanon’s volatile political landscape. However, the situation deteriorated rapidly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered intensified strikes against Hezbollah positions inside Lebanon “with full force.”
Since then, repeated offences by both sides have left dozens of civilians dead or wounded, including children, while fears of a broader escalation have resurfaced.
The source confirmed that no invitation has been extended for a meeting between President Joseph Aoun and Netanyahu.
On the ground, Israeli strikes have pushed deeper into southern Lebanon, targeting areas beyond the so-called “Yellow Line.” Towns such as Deir Aames, located more than five kilometers from the unofficial boundary, were hit after residents received evacuation warnings, while motorcyclists were also targeted in separate strikes.
Hezbollah said it had responded with rocket and drone attacks against Israeli positions along the border and in occupied areas, claiming it had also downed several Israeli drones.
At the same time, tensions within Lebanon are intensifying, particularly between the state and Hezbollah over the direction of negotiations.
Aoun, speaking during a meeting at the Presidential Palace with displaced residents from border areas, pushed back against criticism of the government’s diplomatic approach.
“Those who dragged us into war in Lebanon are now holding us accountable for deciding to go to negotiations on the pretext of the lack of national consensus, and I ask: When you went to war, did you first obtain national consensus?” he said, rejecting accusations that engaging in talks amounts to surrender.
“What we are doing is not treason; rather, treason is committed by those who take their country to war to achieve foreign interests.”
Aoun’s comments came after Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem announced the group’s “categorical rejection” of direct negotiations with Israel and accused the government of making what he called “a gratuitous and humiliating concession.”
The official source told Arab News that a potential meeting between Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri — a key Hezbollah ally — is being considered as part of efforts to coordinate positions and ease internal tensions, although no date has been confirmed.
According to the official source, Beirut is seeking to build on “the trilateral meeting” by moving toward broader negotiations that would address security arrangements and Hezbollah’s disarmament.
The aim, he said, is to integrate Hezbollah within the framework of the state, enforce a state monopoly on weapons, and ensure that decisions on war and peace remain under government authority, potentially within a ceasefire agreement similar to that made with Israel.
Lebanese officials are also working to secure broader regional backing, with Arab countries including Saudi Arabia and Egypt engaging with Washington to support Lebanon’s position and help stabilize the ceasefire.
MP Bilal Abdallah of the Progressive Socialist Party described negotiations as unavoidable but urged caution in how Lebanon navigates the diplomatic process.
He welcomed US efforts to curb Israel’s escalation and stabilize the fragile ceasefire.
“The US has the right to propose what it deems appropriate and Lebanon must respond with calm and measured steps that preserve the national interest and internal unity,” he told Arab News.
“Negotiation is essential and should move forward quickly to prevent further losses,” he said, stressing that the process should follow a phased approach starting with consolidating the ceasefire, followed by securing Israeli withdrawal, the release of prisoners and reconstruction.
While acknowledging Lebanon’s limited leverage, he warned against conceding too much.
“Lebanon is not in a position of power,” he said, but added that it “cannot exhaust all its cards and surrender to Israel.”
