As Israeli and Lebanese officials convened in Washington for a fifth round of negotiations, Israel’s ambassador to the United States warned that the talks are drifting away from the principles that originally brought the sides to the table.
Ambassador Yechiel Leiter expressed concern that discussions once focused on removing Hezbollah as a military force and ending Iranian influence in Lebanon have become increasingly uncertain.
Addressing reporters at the opening of the talks Tuesday, Leiter described the current state of the negotiations in stark terms.
“We are in a train wreck,” he said.
The ambassador argued that earlier rounds had been built around a common vision shared by Israel, Lebanon and the United States.
He said Washington had played a leading role in advancing efforts aimed at achieving security arrangements and a broader peace process between the neighboring countries.
“Before four rounds, we all boarded the same train, with the United States serving as the locomotive,” Leiter said. “The train was heading toward a very clear destination: full peace and security between the countries; the removal of Iran and its malicious influence from Lebanon; the dismantling of Hezbollah.”
Leiter said recent developments have raised doubts about whether those objectives remain unchanged.
“The basic assumption was that Iran was out, and that the central discussion concerned Lebanon and Hezbollah — not the question of how much Iran can restrain Hezbollah,” he said.
According to Leiter, the negotiations should focus on strengthening Lebanese sovereignty rather than assigning Tehran a role in shaping outcomes inside Lebanon.
“It is not Iran’s role. Its role is to leave Lebanon. The role of the Lebanese government is to exercise its sovereignty,” he said. “Sovereignty means that Iran will no longer be involved in activity or malicious influence in Lebanon.”
The ambassador also questioned the growing emphasis on “deconfliction,” a concept discussed by the United States and Iran in connection with Lebanon.
Leiter said Israel needs greater clarity regarding the direction of the negotiations and whether Hezbollah’s disarmament remains a central objective.
“Is the dismantling of Hezbollah still the basis of these discussions? Because from our perspective it must remain so,” he said.
