Too late for talks? Lebanon breaks a taboo amid war

Kareem Chehayeb, MDT/AP

With airstrikes rocking Beirut and Israeli troops advancing against Hezbollah, Lebanon’s government has broken a taboo by proposing the first direct talks with Israel in decades. But Lebanese officials say they want the fighting to end first — and it might be too late for that.

Hezbollah’s decision to enter the wider Iran war by firing rockets at Israel has led to heavy Israeli bombardment of southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs, killing some 850 Lebanese and driving over a million people from their homes. Israel is threatening a wider ground invasion and the destruction of Lebanon’s civilian infrastructure.

Last week, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun offered to hold direct negotiations with Israel for the first time since the 1982 Israeli invasion. Aoun also asked for a boost in funding for Lebanese troops and reaffirmed his commitment to disarm Hezbollah. But Lebanon wants the fighting to end before any talks with Israel, according to officials familiar with the matter.

Israeli officials did not respond to requests for comment. But Foreign Minister Gideon Saar denied any talks were planned.

The agreement that ended Lebanon’s 1975–1990 civil war called for the disarmament of all armed groups, but Hezbollah alone kept its weapons, saying they were needed to protect Lebanon from Israel. Successive governments refused to confront the group, fearing that any attempt to disarm it by force could rekindle civil war.

That calculus started to change in 2024, when Israel killed most of Hezbollah’s top leaders and pummeled its armed wing. Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who took office in early 2025, pledged to disarm Hezbollah, a position with wide support among Lebanon’s war-weary population.

In the months leading up to the war, the government deployed troops across large parts of southern Lebanon and said it dismantled over 500 Hezbollah warehouses and military positions. But it did not confront the group directly.

When Hezbollah launched missiles at Israel days after the U.S.-Israeli bombing of Iran, the Lebanese government condemned the militant group, outlawed its activities, and arrested several militants. But by then the country had been plunged into another war.

Hezbollah still portrays itself as Lebanon’s only viable defense, accusing Israel of violating a 2024 ceasefire by continuing airstrikes and refusing to withdraw from strategic points along the border. Israel says Hezbollah is in violation of past agreements requiring it to disarm and warns it will act, at potentially great cost to Lebanon.

Hezbollah officials have denounced the offer of talks. Mahmoud Qamati said the move was a “concession and a big mistake,” adding the state cannot make promises without the resistance’s approval.

“There is no senior official in the White House focusing on Lebanon,” said Randa Slim. The offer of talks is unlikely to gain traction or head off an Israeli invasion.

Israeli troops are advancing deeper into southern Lebanon ahead of an expected wider ground invasion. The military has struck bridges and key roads and issued evacuation warnings.

The Lebanese government, facing a severe financial crisis, is scrambling to provide shelter and aid for nearly one million displaced people while calling on the international community to press Israel to spare key infrastructure.

Aoun continues his diplomatic calls from the presidential palace as drones circle overhead, airstrikes echo in the distance and smoke rises to the south.

[Abridged]