Pentagon-Mediated Israel-Lebanon Talks Target Hezbollah, With Gen. Rodolphe Haykal Present

Israeli and Lebanese military delegations opened Pentagon-mediated talks in Washington on Friday aimed at curbing Hezbollah and preventing renewed escalation along the Israel–Lebanon border, with the talks framed as a shift into direct military coordination after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire reached in mid-April.

“Israeli and Lebanese military delegations opened Pentagon-mediated talks Friday morning in Washington, launching a new U”

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A State Department official told Fox News Digital that, “The only path to lasting peace is through direct negotiations between the two sovereign governments.”

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The discussions were expected to focus on ceasefire enforcement, border stability, Israeli withdrawal from parts of southern Lebanon, and the role of the Lebanese Armed Forces in containing Hezbollah, while Israeli forces continued operating inside parts of southern Lebanon and Hezbollah maintained drone and rocket capabilities.

Representing Lebanon in the talks is Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) commander Gen. Rodolphe Haykal, and Ahmed Sharawi of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies said the central question is whether Lebanon can curb Hezbollah’s military power without risking internal collapse.

Sharawi warned that “We are yet to see the confiscation of one single bullet from Hezbollah,” pointing to the November 2024 ceasefire agreement that placed responsibility for disarming Hezbollah on the Lebanese state.

Israeli defense echelons told KAN News that a deal between the US and Iran could freeze IDF counterterrorism operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, and they also feared a U.S. demand that the IDF withdraw from southern Lebanon.

A senior IDF Northern Command official said Hezbollah is “fighting for its life,” urging Iran to include the terror group in any agreement reached with the US.

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The Hill’s opinion contributor Charbel A. Antoun argued that the U.S. Treasury’s designations targeted “a system” rather than a militia, listing Hezbollah parliamentarians Hassan Fadlallah, Ibrahim al-Mousawi, Hussein al-Hajj Hassan, and Mohammed Fneish alongside Amal Movement security figures Ahmad Baalbaki and Ahmad Safawi.

Antoun said the list’s significance included the designation of Colonel Samer Hamadi, who heads Lebanese Army Intelligence in Beirut’s southern suburbs, and Brigadier General Khattar Nasser al-Din, who directs the Analysis Department at Lebanese General Security.

He added that the Lebanese Armed Forces issued a prompt public statement that its soldiers remain “loyal,” describing it as a defensive reflex that followed the Hamadi designation.

The talks come as Hezbollah pushes for a complete ceasefire and requests that Iranian negotiators ensure the terror group is included in any agreement reached with the US, while Israel’s defense establishment fears the White House could instruct Israel to cease fighting in Lebanon.

“Rubio to Aoun: Hezbollah bears responsibility for the fighting”

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KAN News reported that the military also requested that political echelons allow it to increase strikes and ground operations in Lebanon, and N12 News said the recommendation reflected a belief it would not be the right decision to “spread out” current counterterrorism operations.

In parallel, the U.S. sanctions described by The Hill’s Charbel A. Antoun were timed to land as Lebanon-Israel security talks approach, with Antoun writing that the message is that “the cost of protecting Hezbollah’s privileges is no longer zero.”

DW quoted Kelly Petillo saying, “Lebanon is in a state of panic,” while citing Lebanon’s Health Ministry figures that more than 3,213 people have been killed and more than 1 million people remain displaced following nearly three months of Israeli strikes.

The Washington Institute’s Asaf Orion argued that UNIFIL’s end would not create a “security vacuum,” and said the central role of UNIFIL has already been replaced by the US-led mechanism established under the November 2024 ceasefire.