BREAKING: Netanyahu Authorises Direct Lebanon Negotiations Under US Pressure
Netanyahu Authorises Direct Lebanon Negotiations Under US Pressure
OSOMON L.L.C-FZ | Thursday, 9 April 2026 | 18:10 GMT
What Netanyahu said
'In light of Lebanon's repeated requests to open direct negotiations with Israel, I instructed the cabinet yesterday to start direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible,' Netanyahu said. 'The negotiations will focus on disarming Hezbollah and establishing peaceful relations between Israel and Lebanon.'
This reverses the position Netanyahu held less than 24 hours earlier, when his office stated: 'The two-week ceasefire does not include Lebanon.' On Wednesday morning, Trump told PBS that Lebanon was 'a separate skirmish.' By Wednesday midday, Trump was personally asking Netanyahu to scale back.
What changed: Trump's phone call and Witkoff's intervention
According to Axios, citing a senior administration official, Trump personally asked Netanyahu during a Wednesday phone call to scale back Israel's strikes in Lebanon to help ensure the success of the Iran negotiations. White House envoy Steve Witkoff separately asked Netanyahu to 'calm down' the strikes. Israel agreed 'to be a helpful partner.'
The trigger was Operation Eternal Darkness. Wednesday's strikes — 254 killed, the war's deadliest day — prompted Iran to re-close the Strait of Hormuz, resume its threat posture, and publicly accuse the US of violating all three ceasefire clauses. Pakistan reportedly intervened overnight to prevent an Iranian retaliatory strike. With Islamabad talks 48 hours away, the White House concluded that continued Lebanon escalation would collapse the entire framework before Vance, Witkoff, and Kushner reached the table.
The terms — and the caveats
The first meeting is set for the State Department in Washington, led by US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa and Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter. The focus, per Netanyahu's framing, is disarmament of Hezbollah and normalisation — not a ceasefire.
The caveats are significant. An Israeli official was emphatic to Axios: 'No ceasefire in Lebanon.' Netanyahu simultaneously declared: 'Whoever acts against Israeli civilians — will be struck. We will continue to strike Hezbollah wherever required.' Five IDF divisions remain deployed in southern Lebanon. The 98th Division is consolidating around Bint Jbeil. Bridges on the Litani have been destroyed. No ground withdrawal has been discussed.
Lebanese PM Nawaf Salam stated on April 8: 'No one negotiates for Lebanon except for the Lebanese state' — distancing Beirut from any Iran-brokered framework but implicitly accepting the concept of direct talks.
What it means for Islamabad
Iran conditioned its attendance at Saturday's talks on Lebanon being addressed. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier today that Iran might not attend unless Lebanon was included. Netanyahu's announcement — while stopping short of a ceasefire — gives the US something to present in Islamabad: a parallel diplomatic track that addresses Tehran's core demand without formally linking the two negotiations.
Whether this is enough depends on whether Iran reads it as substance or theatre. Ghalibaf's rhetoric has been escalatory. The IRGC said it would 'do our duty and give a regretful response to the evil aggressors' if Lebanon strikes continue. Iran's deputy FM told the BBC: 'You cannot have a cake and eat it at the same time.' But both delegations are still travelling Thursday night- or maybe Iran has already arrived if you believe the now deleted X post from the Iranian Embassy! The talks are still on — for now.
■ Quagmire — Unchanged. The Lebanon talks may produce the same pattern as the Iran talks: framework without resolution, deadline extensions, rhetoric without withdrawal.
■ Cold Blockade — Marginally softened. If Iran reads the Lebanon talks as credible, Hormuz passage may resume. If not, the mine map still governs.
■ Off-ramp — Strengthened. Netanyahu's authorisation of talks is the first genuine movement toward linking the Lebanon and Iran tracks. The State Department channel gives the US a deliverable for Islamabad. This is the strongest off-ramp signal since the ceasefire announcement.
■ Wider war — Not yet reduced. 'No ceasefire in Lebanon' remains Israel's stated position. Five divisions in the field. Hezbollah firing rockets. Iran's fingers 'on the trigger.' The talks announcement is a diplomatic gesture, not a military stand-down.
Today's daily edition covered Operation Eternal Darkness, the ceasefire dispute, the mine map, the Hormuz closure, and the full market reaction in detail. This breaking edition covers only the new development: Netanyahu's reversal. The next scheduled edition is Friday, 10 April.
OSOMON Conflict Briefing is published by OSOMON L.L.C-FZ, a management consultancy incorporated in the Meydan Free Zone, Dubai, UAE. This publication provides geopolitical analysis and market commentary for informational purposes only. It is not authorised or regulated by any financial services authority in the UAE, UK, EU, or any other jurisdiction. Nothing in this publication constitutes a personal recommendation, financial advice, investment advice, or a solicitation to buy, sell, or hold any financial instrument. © 2026 OSOMON L.L.C-FZ. All rights reserved.
Add a comment: