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ConfirmedDiplomacy & politicsBackgroundWashington, United States

Israel and Lebanon hold first direct talks since 1993 at the State Department

Mountain Time
Local time
11:00 AM in New York
Where
Washington, United States

Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad met for two hours with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, the first direct diplomatic talks between the two countries since 1993; Hezbollah, which opposed the talks, was not represented. The State Department called the meeting productive and said all sides agreed to launch direct negotiations at a mutually agreed time and venue.

Why it matters

Israel went in ruling out a ceasefire and seeking Hezbollah's disarmament, while Lebanon wanted a truce first; a Hezbollah official told AP the group would not abide by any agreements made in the talks.

Sources (6)

Confidence: Corroborated by independent sources or direct evidence. About confidence labels

Correction

  • Corrected the time from Apr 14 2026, 12:00 PM Eastern Time; source gives date marker, exact hour not specified to 11:00 AM New York time, Apr 14, 2026; corrected the headline (it read "Lebanon and Israel hold direct talks in Washington"); revised the summary; revised the context note; corrected the location from Washington, D.C. to Washington, United States; changed the confidence label from reported to confirmed; updated the sourcing note; added 6 sources: Associated Press, CBS News; removed AP Iran-Israel-Lebanon timeline as a source (an undated retrospective timeline that could not be opened or verified). Why and evidence