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. But Lebanon wants the fighting to end before any talks with Israel, according to three Lebanese diplomatic and government officials familiar with the matter. There were fears that any attempt to disarm Hezbollah by force could rekindle the civil war. Aoun, once confident he could disarm Hezbollah with minimal confrontation, continues with his flurry of diplomatic calls from the hilltop presidential palace.

Source: The Telegraph March 17, 2026 14:37 UTC