President Trump said that Israeli and Lebanese leaders would speak again on Thursday, as he sought to build on lower-level talks this week aimed at ending Israel’s war against Iran-backed Hezbollah.
There was no confirmation from either Israel or Lebanon. Three Lebanese officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said they were not aware of any such meeting. The Israeli prime minister’s office said it would not confirm one either.
Mr. Trump did not give further details, including any information on which officials would participate.
“Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon. It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years,” Mr. Trump wrote on social media late Wednesday. “It will happen tomorrow. Nice!”
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia backed by Iran, has threatened to upend the cease-fire between the United States and Iran, which expires next week. Iran has insisted that the cease-fire be extended to Lebanon, a proposal Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has rejected, with backing from senior White House officials, including Vice President JD Vance.
Lebanon and Israel, who have technically been at war since 1948, do not have official diplomatic relations. On Tuesday, Israeli and Lebanese officials held rare talks in Washington, their first in decades. The State Department said afterward that steps had been taken toward further “direct negotiations” between the two countries.
Israeli and Lebanese officials have said that Israel is considering a short-term cease-fire in Lebanon. Two Israeli officials said the cease-fire could begin as early as Thursday and last about a week. The Israeli government has yet to formally sign off on the plan, and it remains unclear whether Hezbollah would comply even if Israel and Lebanon agreed on one.
Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has continued during the two-week cease-fire between Iran and the United States. Israel has stopped strikes on Beirut, the Lebanese capital, but has continued attacking Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, which the Israeli military has occupied as far north as the Litani River.
Days before the talks in Washington, the Israeli military launched two attacks on towns in southern Lebanon on Sunday, killing at least 11 people, according to Lebanon’s official news agency. The Israeli military said it had killed an armed combatant on the same day in a raid on what it described as a Hezbollah infrastructure site in southern Lebanon.
Israel launched its military campaign in Lebanon in early March, days after the United States and Israel began an air campaign against Iran. Hezbollah had fired rockets at northern Israel in solidarity with Iran, its patron. Late last month, Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, said that Israel would demolish Lebanese towns near the border and set up a security zone, which would displace hundreds of thousands of Lebanese residents.
Christina Goldbaum, Isabel Kershner and Euan Ward contributed reporting.
Francesca Regalado is a Times reporter covering breaking news.
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