Chicago – April 09, 2026
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered his government to begin direct peace talks with Lebanon, even as Israeli strikes there threaten to destabilize a fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire. The talks would focus on Hezbollah’s disarmament and the establishment of peaceful relations, while Israeli attacks across Lebanon intensified.
Netanyahu’s move comes amid sharp disagreement over whether Lebanon is covered by the temporary truce brokered between Washington and Tehran.
Israel and the United States say the pause applies only to the Iran confrontation, not the Lebanon front, while Iran and other mediators have argued the ceasefire should extend there as well.
The strikes have killed large numbers in Lebanon and drawn warnings that the wider agreement could unravel. Iran’s president said Israeli attacks on Lebanon make negotiations “meaningless,” underscoring how fighting in Lebanon is now casting a shadow over broader regional diplomacy.
