A sharp diplomatic disconnect emerged on Thursday after US President Donald Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that the leaders of Israel and Lebanon would speak to each other for the first time in 34 years — only for Beirut to flatly deny any knowledge of such a call.
An official Lebanese source told AFP that Beirut was "not aware of any planned contact with the Israeli side" and had "not been informed of any through official channels," directly contradicting the US President's upbeat announcement.
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Trump posted on Truth Social that Washington was "trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon," adding, "It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years. It will happen tomorrow. Nice!" Trump did not identify which leaders he was referring to.
The confusion comes just days after Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors held their first face-to-face diplomatic meeting in Washington in more than three decades, with Lebanon seeking a ceasefire and an Israeli military withdrawal from southern Lebanon — talks that were themselves deeply contentious domestically.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah has fiercely condemned the negotiations, with Secretary-General Naim Qassem calling them a "free concession" to Israel and the US, and warning that talks conducted while Lebanon is under bombardment amount to negotiating under duress.
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The backdrop is a fragile broader conflict. Netanyahu had previously persuaded Trump to exclude Lebanon from the US-Iran ceasefire deal, a move that drew significant criticism from Iran, Pakistan, and European allies who had understood Lebanon to be included.
Moreover, As per reports, Israel has refrained from targeting Beirut over the past 24 hours, though its military operations in southern Lebanon continue, keeping the prospects of any sustainable ceasefire deeply uncertain.
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