Diplomat Simon Karam, a Maronite Christian and critic of Hezbollah, headed the Lebanese team in what Israeli officials described as a breakthrough.
Israel and Lebanon have launched their first ever direct talks at the civilian level to explore potential economic and other cooperative initiatives that are not tied to the ongoing military campaign against Hezbollah.
This was reflected in a meeting in Naqoura, Lebanon, north of the Israeli border and Rosh Hanikra, between a team led by Uri Resnick, deputy head of foreign policy at Israel’s National Security Council, and a delegation headed by Simon Karam, the former Lebanese ambassador to the U.S. The talks were mediated by Morgan Ortagus, deputy United States special envoy to the Middle East, and included representatives from the IDF, the Lebanese Armed Forces and the United Nations.
The Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem said the meeting was held in a “positive atmosphere” and that the sides agreed to formulate “ideas for potential economic cooperation between Israel and Lebanon.” Israel clarified that “disarming Hezbollah is a fundamental requirement that stands independently of any progress on economic issues.” The sides agreed to hold follow-up discussions.