The fifth round of direct Lebanon-Israel negotiations opened at the State Department in Washington on Tuesday, with military and political delegations meeting in joint and separate sessions. The talks, the first since a US-Iran memorandum of understanding came into force on 18 June, are taking place under a fragile ceasefire that has sharply reduced violence since the weekend. A US official stated that the common goal is to "end the cycle of violence for good" and to enable the two states to negotiate a comprehensive peace and security agreement.

Viewed from Washington, the diplomatic effort is now split between two competing tracks. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the US ambassador to Lebanon are driving the bilateral process, which they see as the only path to restore Lebanese sovereignty and disarm Hezbollah. In parallel, Vice President JD Vance’s office has championed a "de-escalation mechanism" agreed in Switzerland that brings together the United States, Lebanon, Iran, Qatar and Pakistan — but not Israel — to solidify the ceasefire and monitor its implementation. According to US diplomatic sources, this structure has drawn sharp criticism inside the administration for legitimising Iran’s role in Lebanese security affairs while sidelining the primary target of Hezbollah’s arsenal. President Donald Trump, for his part, expressed confidence that the problem "will be solved" and referred to himself as a "problem solver."

From Beirut, President Joseph Aoun used a phone call with Vance and Rubio to welcome US support for extending state authority, but he also declared that Lebanon "will accept nothing less than the end of Israeli occupation and the simultaneous collapse of all foreign tutelage." Lebanese officials, speaking to Reuters, expressed scepticism that the Washington talks can yield concrete progress, citing a fundamental trust deficit, and said Beirut would demand a reasonable timeline for Israeli withdrawal. In Tel Aviv, the Israeli ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, warned that the negotiations are heading toward a "train wreck" because the focus has drifted from disarming Hezbollah and expelling Iranian influence. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defence chiefs issued a joint statement vowing to maintain a unilateral "security zone" in southern Lebanon and to "act firmly" against threats.

The parallel US-Iran track has altered the balance of leverage. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the new cell as the "first real test" of the US-Iran understanding, while Hezbollah, which rejects direct talks with Israel, has been emboldened by Tehran’s direct involvement. The Lebanese presidency confirmed that arrangements for the cell’s operation are still under review. Meanwhile, President Aoun discussed with French President Emmanuel Macron the post-ceasefire phase and the future of UNIFIL, with Macron seeking to preserve an international force presence beyond 2027. The Washington negotiations are scheduled to continue through 25 June, with further details expected to be announced shortly. Aoun is also preparing visits to Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and an Iranian foreign ministerial visit to Beirut is anticipated, signalling that the Lebanese file is increasingly embedded in a broader regional recalibration.