On this Tuesday, Israel and Lebanon announced that they would commence negotiations aimed at demarcating their long-disputed shared border. This development came after a key four-way meeting that involved representatives from the US, France, Israel, and Lebanon, which took place at the UN peacekeeping headquarters in Naqoura, located in southern Lebanon.
The meeting marked a diplomatic milestone, as both Israel and Lebanon agreed to establish three joint working groups. These groups will be tasked with addressing a range of critical issues, including the five areas in Lebanon still under Israeli occupation, the Blue Line (which is the de facto border between the two countries), areas of dispute along the border, and the issue of Lebanese citizens currently being detained by Israel.
In a significant move to foster goodwill and improve relations, Israel agreed to release five Lebanese detainees as a gesture to Lebanon’s newly appointed president, Joseph Aoun. This decision was made in close coordination with the United States. Lebanon quickly confirmed that four of the detained Lebanese citizens had been returned from Israel, with the fifth expected to be released shortly.
According to a statement from the Lebanese president’s office, the fifth detainee was scheduled to be handed over by Israel on Wednesday. This release is seen as an important step toward reducing tensions and promoting a more stable relationship between the two nations, particularly after years of strained relations.
The diplomatic breakthrough comes against the backdrop of a fragile ceasefire that was established on November 27, 2024. This ceasefire largely put an end to over a year of intense conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, including two months of heavy fighting in which Israeli ground troops were deployed. The conflict initially began on October 8, 2023, when Hezbollah launched coordinated attacks on Israel in support of Hamas, which had invaded from Gaza a day earlier.
The attacks, primarily involving rocket fire from Lebanon, led to the displacement of approximately 60,000 Israeli civilians, who fled the threat of persistent bombardment. Despite the ceasefire agreement, there remain significant concerns about the region’s future stability.
In response to the ceasefire, US Deputy Presidential Special Envoy Morgan Ortagus affirmed that all parties involved remain committed to upholding the truce and fully implementing its terms. Ortagus also expressed optimism about the prompt formation of the working groups, which are expected to play a crucial role in resolving outstanding issues between Israel and Lebanon. The hope is that these groups, with the support of international partners, can address the unresolved matters that have fueled the conflict for years.
However, despite these positive diplomatic steps, violence continued to flare in the region. On the same day as the announcement, an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon killed a prominent Hezbollah operative, Hassan Abbas Izzedine. Izzedine, who served as a commander in Hezbollah’s aerial defense unit, was targeted in the Nabatieh region. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stated that Izzedine had been instrumental in efforts to rebuild Hezbollah’s aerial defense capabilities, which were severely damaged during the war.
He had also been involved in procuring new equipment to enhance the group’s ability to threaten Israeli military aircraft. In addition to the drone strike, the IDF conducted airstrikes later that day, targeting a facility in southern Lebanon used by Hezbollah. The Israeli military also launched airstrikes the previous Friday, targeting a Hezbollah weapons storage site, claiming these sites posed a significant threat to Israel’s security.
These airstrikes underline the continuing instability in the region, despite the diplomatic progress made. While the negotiations over the border and the release of detainees are important steps toward peace, the threat of violence remains a significant challenge to long-term stability between Israel and Lebanon.
