‘The only issue is Hezbollah’: Iran’s role in Lebanon proves sticking point in talks

The Trump administration is sending mixed signals on the role Iran plays in Lebanon, with the Islamic Republic inserting itself into Israeli-Lebanese talks to preserve its proxy military force Hezbollah.

Israeli and Lebanese officials are holding direct talks in Washington, D.C., this week, marking a fifth round of negotiations after the first started in April, though they initially did a good job of boxing out Iran.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Tuesday that the U.S.-led talks between Israel and Lebanon are separate from U.S. talks with Iran, adding that the administration will discuss directly with Iran its support for Hezbollah. 

But in a call to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun earlier this week, Rubio and Vice President Vance said Iran will be part of a “de-confliction” cell to monitor a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, with Qatar and Pakistan also serving as mediators.

Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has not stopped, although it has diminished. 

Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter, issued a blunt warning on Tuesday that Israel-Lebanon talks are “headed toward a train wreck” after Iran was given power to exercise influence.

“The only issue is Hezbollah. Hezbollah must be defeated and removed from the equation,” he said. “Instead, there is a real danger that Hezbollah has been given a shot in the arm. It certainly has been emboldened.”

Edward Gabriel, president and CEO of the nonprofit American Task Force on Lebanon, said Iran has no business being part of a deconfliction mechanism, which was originally conceived during a November 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. 

The original mechanism was supposed to have Israel........

© The Hill