ISLAMABAD — President Donald Trump said leaders of Lebanon and Israel would speak Thursday for the first time in 34 years amid a flurry of regional diplomacy supporting the shaky ceasefire between the United States and Iran that is set to expire next week.
“Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon,” Trump wrote in a social media post late Wednesday. “It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years. It will happen tomorrow.” He did not specify which Lebanese and Israeli leaders.
Since Trump announced the ceasefire with Iran on April 8, Israel has insisted that Lebanon and Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group based there, were not covered by the pause in fighting. Israel has continued its military operations in Lebanon, including airstrikes on Beirut, the capital.
Galia Gamliel, a member of Israel’s security cabinet, said Thursday morning that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun would speak.
Lebanon’s presidential office, however, said it was unaware of the reported interaction. “We have no information regarding the reported phone call between Netanyahu and President Aoun,” the office said in a statement.
Pakistan, which helped mediate the ceasefire between the United States and Iran and hosted a through-the-night negotiating session last weekend, has said Lebanon was part of the deal and has described halting Israel’s attacks there as an intrinsic part of the agreement. Israel emphatically disputes that.
Despite that disagreement and Trump’s imposition of a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, the ceasefire in Iran has held — an indication that Washington and Tehran remain keen for an off-ramp from the war.
The historic talks last weekend, in which Vice President JD Vance led the U.S. delegation, broke down over several issues, notably Iran’s insistence on maintaining its nuclear enrichment program, which it says is for civilian purposes, and Trump’s demand that the country end its nuclear program — at least for 20 years.
In recent days, officials and diplomats have floated the possibility of a second round of U.S.-Iran talks.
Since the Islamabad meeting, Iran and the United States have continued to exchange messages, according to a Pakistani official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media. The official said Pakistan is also exploring the possibility of extending the ceasefire.
“This is to create space for peace talks so that they could continue,” the official said. The Trump administration has dismissed reports that the ceasefire will be extended.
Senior Pakistani officials have also embarked on travel in the region to support the diplomatic effort. Pakistan’s Army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, who has emerged as one of the most important figures in the peacemaking effort, traveled to Tehran Wednesday “as part of the ongoing mediation efforts,” according to Pakistan’s military.
Also Wednesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Saudi Arabia. His office said he would be discussing regional issues there before continuing on to Qatar and Turkey.
Iran and the United States remain far apart on critical issues, including Tehran’s nuclear program, control of the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s demand that the United States and Israel pay compensation for war-related damages.
Trump announced the high-level meetings between Israel and Lebanon just days after a rare face-to-face encounter between Lebanese and Israeli diplomats in Washington on Tuesday.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted the meeting that participants described as a working group aimed at reaching a ceasefire amid ongoing cross-border hostilities. The meeting lasted more than two hours and was attended by Lebanon’s ambassador to the United States, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, and her Israeli counterpart, Yechiel Leiter.
Tommy Pigott, a spokesperson for the State Department, said the two sides “agreed to launch direct negotiations at a mutually agreed time and venue.”
Netanyahu issued a statement late Wednesday declaring that Israel was continuing its military operations against Hezbollah.
“Our forces continue to strike Hezbollah; we are on the verge of decisive victory in Bint Jbeil,” Netanyahu said. “At the same time, I issued directives to the IDF yesterday to continue thickening the security zone, and also to deploy it eastward toward the Hermon mountain foothills.”
The Israeli leader also nodded to the diplomatic efforts. “In parallel, we are conducting negotiations with Lebanon,” he said. “These negotiations have not taken place for 40 years or more. … In the negotiations with Lebanon, there are two primary objectives: first, the disarmament of Hezbollah, and second, a sustainable peace. Peace through strength.”
Netanyahu, who has been criticized in Israel for not being part of Trump’s decision to pause the fighting with Iran, said Wednesday that he was being updated “constantly” by Washington. “Our goals are identical,” he said, though analysts have noted divergence between American and Israeli interests, and some Israelis have opposed the ceasefire, saying it was too soon to halt fighting.
Haidamous reported from Beirut. Lior Soroka in Tel Aviv contributed to this report.
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