Alexandra Sharp
Foreign Policy / April 23, 2026
Hezbollah’s opposition to talks and continued Israeli strikes make progress difficult to come by.
The United States hosted a second round of ambassador-level talks between Israel and Lebanon in Washington on Thursday aimed at ending Israel’s war with Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy group. The main objective of this week’s dialogue, mediated by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, was to extend the two sides’ 10-day cease-fire, which was established during initial negotiations in Washington last Tuesday and is set to expire on Sunday.
Beirut’s delegation entered Thursday’s meeting with two goals: to extend the truce deal and get Israel to halt its demolitions in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. However, he said the broader conversations are aimed at launching negotiations that would see a permanent end to the war, the Israeli military’s withdrawal from occupied territory, the return of Lebanese detainees in Israel, and the delineation of the two countries’ land border.
“Lebanon can no longer endure wars fought on its soil on behalf of others, nor can Hezbollah continue to sell the illusion of victory,” Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi wrote on X on Thursday. “There is no shame in negotiating with Israel if the goal is to end the war, recover territory, and secure a lasting peace.”
Yet experts suspect that little progress toward a more comprehensive deal will come from Thursday’s talks, largely because Hezbollah remains opposed to negotiations with Israel. Lebanon does not control the proxy group, and Hezbollah representatives were not present at last week’s meeting or this week’s.
Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah urged Beirut on Thursday to cancel all forms of direct contact with Israel, adding that the group would only support a cease-fire “on the basis of full compliance by the Israeli enemy.” Full compliance, Fadlallah said, means that Israel’s military must “halt assassinations, completely cease fire, … halt the destruction of villages,” and withdraw from the country.
Meanwhile, Israel—represented in the talks by its ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter—continues to seek Hezbollah’s complete dismantlement, which the group refuses to do. Israel has declared a buffer zone that extends around 3 to 6 miles into southern Lebanon, arguing that it is necessary to help shield northern Israel from Hezbollah’s attacks.
Israeli and Hezbollah forces have continued to trade sporadic fire in the lead-up to Thursday’s talks despite the 10-day cease-fire. On Wednesday, Israeli strikes killed Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil and wounded photojournalist Zeinab Faraj in the town of Tayri. According to the Lebanese Red Cross, its teams also came under attack when they tried to evacuate the journalists, forcing the rescuers to withdraw.
These strikes were a “blatant double breach, involving both the obstruction of rescue efforts for a civilian known for her media and humanitarian work, and the direct targeting of an ambulance clearly marked with the Red Cross,” Lebanon’s health ministry said. Israeli officials said the incident is under review, while Hezbollah said it carried out four operations in southern Lebanon in response on Wednesday.
The following day, an Israeli strike near the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh killed at least three people, and another attack on Yater village wounded two others, including a child. Also on Thursday, Hezbollah claimed three separate attacks on Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.
Nearly 2,500 people have been killed in Lebanon since fighting between Israel and Hezbollah erupted on March 2. Israel and the United States have denied any link between the conflict in Lebanon and ongoing Pakistan-led diplomatic efforts to end the Iran war—even as Tehran and Islamabad have called for Lebanon to be included in the U.S.-Iran cease-fire.
Alexandra Sharp is the World Brief writer at Foreign Policy
