In a striking diplomatic move that could reshuffle regional dynamics at a highly sensitive moment, Israel announced it would send an official representative to a meeting that includes Lebanese government and economic actors—a step the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office described as “a first attempt to build a basis for relations and economic cooperation between Israel and Lebanon.”
The announcement followed a visit to Israel by U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus and a phone call earlier in the week between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump. These developments coincide with recurrent reports of potential expanding of the Abraham Accords and growing fears of a slide toward escalation across the region.
In a statement Wednesday shared with Alhurra, Netanyahu’s office said the prime minister instructed acting National Security Adviser Gil Reich to dispatch an official representative to the meeting. The move, the statement said, is an initial step aimed at “laying the foundation for economic relations” between the two sides—even though the two countries remain officially in a state of war.
The move converge with a flurry of American diplomatic activity. In Tel Aviv, Ortagus met with Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and Military Intelligence chief Shlomi Binder. According to Israel’s Channel 12, Israeli officials presented the U.S. delegation with “documented evidence” of Hezbollah’s continued armament, arguing that the Lebanese Armed Forces “do not want and cannot” assert state sovereignty or curb the group’s violations. The channel also reported that Israel conveyed direct messages to the Lebanese government warning that “the next phase may be more severe,” particularly after the assassination of senior Hezbollah commander Ali Tabtabaei, whom Israel describes as the group’s “chief of staff.”
Ortagus’s visit is not the only U.S. move. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz is expected in Israel next week; visits that signal active American engagement to halt ang deterioration along the northern frontier and revive diplomatic channels before a potential escalation.
Erann Zinger, a commentator for Israel’s public broadcaster, told Alhurra the Israeli announcement “is a big surprise,” when compared with recent reports suggesting another war with Hezbollah could erupt in the coming period. He added that the U.S. administration “is stepping up pressure on the Israeli government to calm the situation and has requested that Israel avoid another war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.”
On the Lebanese side, President Joseph Aoun appointed former ambassador and civil attorney Simon Karam to lead the Lebanese delegation to the “cease-fire monitoring mechanism” meeting with Israel. It is the first time that Lebanon has deputized a civilian figure to such a meeting. The move is widely interpreted as an attempt to inject political and economic undertones into the process and to signal a divergence from the security tracks that are heavily shaped by Hezbollah’s influence.
As diplomatic channels stir between Lebanon and Israel, Netanyahu delivered noteworthy remarks about another front during a visit to soldiers that were injured in clashes in the Syrian southern town of Beit Jann. He said Israel is “determined to defend its borders and prevent any hostile elements from entrenching themselves in nearby areas,” before adding—according to another statement shared with Alhurra— “With goodwill and mutual understanding, an agreement with the Syrians is possible, but we will hold fast to our principles.”
Although there are no clear indications that Israel is softening its stance toward the new government in Damascus, the timing of the comments suggests Israel is leaving the door open—albeit under strict security conditions that include the establishment of a buffer zone stretching from Damascus to the foothills of Mount Hermon “to prevent any direct threat.”
Against this complex backdrop, Netanyahu and Trump discussed during their phone call the “importance of disarming Hamas and rebuilding Gaza,” as well as “the importance of expanding peace agreements.” Trump invited Netanyahu to visit the White House soon, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.
Even as tensions run high along the northern border—punctuated by intermittent flare-ups and Israeli warnings—these diplomatic overtures open the door to unexpected possibilities. At a moment when Israel appears to be preparing for escalation on multiple fronts, it is simultaneously taking part in an official meeting with Lebanese counterparts, while Washington moves to establish guardrails to prevent uncontrolled deterioration and prods the parties to explore diplomatic pathways.
The convergence of diplomatic momentum with threats of escalation reveals a striking paradox: a race between the logic of war and the pathways to de-escalation, and an American attempt to use the post–October 7 realities to redraw maps of influence and containment at the same time. In the midst of Lebanese and Israeli cautious moves and sustained U.S. pressure, an embryonic pathway toward a potential settlement is taking shape—a trajectory that is still in its earliest stage and marked by deep mistrust and volatility but one that also signals a shift in how the parties engage.
