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Rubio hosts Israel-Lebanon talks spurned by Hezbollah: What to know

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by Sophie Brams - 04/14/26 10:09 AM ET

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by Sophie Brams - 04/14/26 10:09 AM ET

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to host Israeli and Lebanese officials in Washington on Tuesday for the first diplomatic talks between the two nations since fighting erupted again in early March.

A State Department official told NewsNation that Rubio will participate in the meeting, which will include Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S. Nada Hamadeh. Michel Issa, the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon, and Counselor Michael Needham will also be present.

The talks, authorized by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week, are expected to focus on negotiating a ceasefire to end hostilities and the disarmament of Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.

They will be the first talks between the two nations since 1993, an official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity told The Associated Press.

The meeting comes as fighting in Lebanon has threatened to derail the fragile two-week ceasefire reached by the U.S. and Iran. Officials have offered conflicting signals about whether Lebanon was included in the truce: The U.S. and Israel said it was not, while Iran and Pakistan said it was.

Tensions escalated last Wednesday, when the Israeli military launched what it called its largest coordinated attack inside Lebanon, striking 100 military sites and command centers linked to Hezbollah.

At least 300 people were killed and 1,150 others injured in the strikes, according to Lebanese Health Ministry figures cited by the United Nations — one of the highest single-day death tolls since the new conflict erupted in early March, when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel in support of Tehran.

The AP reported that at least 2,089 people total have been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon, citing the health ministry, including 252 women, 166 children and 88 medical workers. More than 1 million people are displaced.

“Our actions are not against Lebanon or its people, but against a terrorist organization holding them hostage,” Shosh Bedrosian, a spokesperson for Netanyahu’s office, wrote Monday on the social platform X. “Hezbollah is being degraded day by day.”

“At the same time, U.S.-mediated talks between Israel and Lebanon aim to disarm Hezbollah, remove the terror threat, and move toward peace.”

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem called on the Lebanese government on Monday to cancel the meeting, describing the talks as pointless in a televised speech, according to Reuters.

Israel has ruled out a ceasefire, and Qassem said the proxy group will continue to confront Israeli attacks on Lebanon.

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