In a move that could mark a turning point in the relationship between the two countries, the Israeli ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, will meet with his Lebanese counterpart, Nada Hamadeh, in a meeting described as historic.
The meeting will take place at the State Department and will be attended by the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, together with senior U.S. officials.
The immediate objective of the meeting will be to address the disarmament of Hezbollah, a terrorist organization and the main obstacle to any diplomatic breakthrough. However, the underlying ambition is much broader: to open a channel to possible normalization between Israel and Lebanon, two countries technically in a state of war for decades
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From Washington, a senior U.S. official stressed that the goal is to guarantee Israel's long-term security, while supporting the sovereignty of the Lebanese State. “Israel is not at war with Lebanon, but with Hezbollah,” he said, suggesting that there is scope for dialogue
