{"id":940669,"date":"2026-05-06T03:21:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T03:21:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/940669\/"},"modified":"2026-05-06T03:21:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T03:21:19","slug":"us-doubles-down-on-urging-lebanese-president-to-meet-netanyahu-unfazed-by-his-refusal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/940669\/","title":{"rendered":"US doubles down on urging Lebanese president to meet Netanyahu, unfazed by his refusal"},"content":{"rendered":"

The United States appeared unmoved on Tuesday by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun\u2019s rejection of its efforts to facilitate a meeting between him and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with Washington doubling down on its call for such high-level engagement between the two leaders as it seeks to advance a joint effort aimed at disarming Hezbollah.<\/p>\n

\u201cPresident Trump has been clear that direct engagement between the two countries is the best way to swiftly advance a lasting peace and security agreement,\u201d a State Department official said in a statement sent to querying reporters.<\/p>\n

\u201cDiplomacy is ongoing, and we will not comment on our ongoing discussions with the two countries,\u201d the official continued, apparently referencing reports that the US was working to schedule a third round of ambassador-level talks between Israel and Lebanon in Washington next week.<\/p>\n

\u201cHezbollah is still trying to derail negotiations with attacks on Israel and threats inside of Lebanon,\u201d the State Department official said. \u201cWe are working to create the conditions and political momentum needed to move this forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

The US has been pushing for a meeting between Netanyahu and Aoun for weeks, with President Donald Trump first claiming on April 15 the two leaders would speak on the phone the next day \u2014 a call that never ended up happening. When he announced a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah the next day, Trump claimed that the two leaders would meet at the White House in the next week or two.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tGet The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition
\n\t\t\tby email and never miss our top stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n

While Aoun\u2019s government is the first in decades to express a desire to curb Hezbollah\u2019s influence in the country, the Iran-backed terror group still wields significant influence in Lebanon, and a relatively weak Beirut is trying to act without sparking another civil war with the roughly one-third of the country\u2019s population that is Shiite.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tFrom left, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh Moawad and US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, listen to President Donald Trump speak in the Oval Office at the White House, April 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP\/Mark Schiefelbein)<\/p>\n

Accordingly, Aoun quietly pushed back on US calls for him to meet Netanyahu in person, particularly while Israeli forces continue to occupy a six-mile buffer zone in southern Lebanon. The Israel Defense Forces has been razing homes in almost every Lebanese village along the northern border, saying they have been used to either store Hezbollah weapons or that they can be used to target Israel. The demolitions have created scenes reminiscent of the destruction in Gaza, sparking growing international outcry.<\/p>\n

Israel says the buffer zone is necessary to protect norther communities from Hezbollah attacks, while critics of the policy argue it legitimizes the terror group, which claims to be acting to defend Lebanon\u2019s sovereignty.<\/p>\n

Israeli forces have been coming under constant Hezbollah drone fire in southern Lebanon, where the IDF withdrew from a similar buffer zone over two decades ago after nearly two decades<\/p>\n

While fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon has continued, the ceasefire announced by Trump in mid-April has largely held in Beirut and much of the rest of the country.<\/p>\n

The US announced an extension of the ceasefire at the second ambassador-level meeting between Israel and Lebanon, which Trump joined at the White House on April 23. The first meeting was held two weeks earlier and was the highest-level engagement between the two countries in decades<\/p>\n

The sides have been discussing a framework for an eventual peace deal that would see Israel withdraw from Lebanon, an empowered Lebanon disarm Hezbollah as well as Jerusalem and Beirut normalizing relations.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tIDF soldiers drive a tank inside a village in southern Lebanon, as seen from northern Israel, May 5, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ariel Schalit)<\/p>\n

Aoun: Security deal must come before Netanyahu meeting<\/p>\n

The US has argued that a meeting between Netanyahu and Aoun would help build momentum toward that effort, but the Lebanese president on Monday pushed back on high-level engagement as he faces threats from Hezbollah.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must first reach a security agreement and stop the Israeli attacks on us before we raise the issue of a meeting between us,\u201d Aoun\u2019s office said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Aoun \u201creiterated his view that the timing is not appropriate now for a meeting\u201d with Netanyahu, the statement said.<\/p>\n

The statement from Aoun\u2019s office said a third round of \u201cpreparatory talks\u201d were expected \u201cin the coming days.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last week, the US embassy in Beirut called for such a meeting, saying that \u201cLebanon stands at a crossroads. Its people have a historic opportunity to reclaim their country and shape their future,\u201d adding that \u201cthe time for hesitation is over.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aoun said, \u201cThere is no turning back from the path of negotiations, because we have no other option,\u201d according to the statement from his office, which reiterated his aim is for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tLebanese President Joseph Aoun posing with US ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa (L) at the presidential palace of Baabda, east of Beirut, on November 17, 2025. (HANDOUT \/ Lebanese Presidency \/ AFP)<\/p>\n

Earlier Monday, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa told journalists that \u201cto me, if the president (Aoun) visited President Trump, there is no loss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aoun \u201ccan go and present his decisions clearly\u201d to Trump and Netanyahu, and after returning to Lebanon, \u201cWe can begin negotiations. I don\u2019t know why people consider this a loss or concession,\u201d Issa said.<\/p>\n

Aoun \u201cwill go to present all Lebanon\u2019s demands, most importantly the sovereignty of its lands,\u201d Issa said, noting full Lebanese territorial sovereignty was a key Hezbollah demand.<\/p>\n

Israeli strikes have killed almost 2,700 people in Lebanon since Hezbollah sparked the latest war by attacking Israel in solidarity with Iran, including dozens since the ceasefire, according to Lebanon\u2019s health ministry. The Israeli military has said that it has killed over 1,900 Hezbollah operatives, including hundreds of members of the terror group\u2019s elite Radwan Force, since the escalation of hostilities.<\/p>\n

Rubio: Israel-Lebanon peace deal \u2018imminently achievable,\u2019 but for Hezbollah<\/p>\n

Asked about the status of the talks on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a peace deal between Israel and Lebanon is \u201cimminently achievable,\u201d while accusing Hezbollah of playing spoiler.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy and large, I think a peace deal between Lebanon and Israel is imminently achievable, and should be,\u201d Rubio said during a White House press briefing. \u201cThe problem with Israel and Lebanon is not Israel or Lebanon, it\u2019s Hezbollah.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tUS Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a press briefing in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, May 5, 2026. (AP\/Mark Schiefelbein)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reason why Lebanon gets attacked by Israel is that Hezbollah is\u2026 launching rockets against Israelis,\u201d he argued.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to do everything we can to make sure that both sides continue to talk so the progress can be made on some sort of permanent ceasefire that isn\u2019t constantly spoiled by Hezbollah,\u201d Rubio added.<\/p>\n

German FM offers qualified support for Israeli buffer zone in Lebanon<\/p>\n

Also Tuesday, Germany\u2019s foreign minister offered qualified support for Israel\u2019s buffer zone in Lebanon while hosting his Israeli counterpart in Berlin, while also criticizing humanitarian conditions in Gaza and \u201cde facto annexation\u201d in the West Bank.<\/p>\n

Johann Wadephul underscored Germany\u2019s staunch support for Israel after a meeting with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa\u2019ar but said close alliances would not \u201cavoid difficult topics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sa\u2019ar defended the continued fighting, arguing that Israel needed to destroy Hezbollah and other terror groups operating in the area who have launched attacks on Israel.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tGerman Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (R) and his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa\u2019ar shake hands after a press conference at the Foreign Office in Berlin on May 5, 2026. (RALF HIRSCHBERGER \/ AFP)<\/p>\n

But Sa\u2019ar said he offered Wadephul assurances that \u201cIsrael has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur presence in the areas by our northern border has one goal: to protect our citizens,\u201d Sa\u2019ar said.<\/p>\n

Wadephul endorsed that stance, calling Israel\u2019s ongoing invasion \u201cnecessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s every right for Israel to be there,\u201d Wadephul said.<\/p>\n

But Wadephul also warned that \u201cLebanon must not be allowed to become a theater of war where it is the civilians who pay the price\u201d and said that \u201ca younger generation growing up amidst the ruins of their parents\u2019 homes\u201d would not make Israel any safer.<\/p>\n

Wadephul condemned Hezbollah attacks on Israel \u201cin the strongest possible terms\u201d and said direct talks between Israel and the Lebanese government offer \u201chope.\u201d<\/p>\n

AFP contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The United States appeared unmoved on Tuesday by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun\u2019s rejection of its efforts to facilitate…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":940670,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5311],"tags":[262769,6505,836,262770,29521,2820,262771,49,978,659],"class_list":{"0":"post-940669","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-united-states","8":"tag-2026-israel-hezbollah-conflict","9":"tag-benjamin-netanyahu","10":"tag-hezbollah","11":"tag-israel-lebanon-relations","12":"tag-joseph-aoun","13":"tag-marco-rubio","14":"tag-trumps-2nd-administration","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-us","17":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116525484767076490","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/940669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=940669"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/940669\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/940670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=940669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=940669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=940669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}