The Israeli ambassador to Washington: We want a peace treaty with Lebanon and the dismantling of “Hezbollah”

In escalatory statements that reveal an aspect of the Israeli vision for the ongoing negotiations with Lebanon, the Israeli ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, considered that the third round of talks constitutes a “transformation” compared to the previous two rounds, indicating that the discussions went beyond the Israeli military withdrawal file to reach discussion in a broader framework that includes a “peace treaty” and the “Hezbollah” file.

During a meeting with the media at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, Leiter said that the presence of the Israeli army inside Lebanese territory “is a direct response to Hezbollah’s arsenal,” considering that the party is “armed to the core and wants to fire missiles at Israeli cities and towns,” as he put it.

He added that Israel “will not allow this to happen anymore,” stressing that the talks with the Lebanese side have passed the stage of “setting initial standards,” and are now being conducted, as he described it, as direct negotiations aimed at building a “unique two-track framework.”

Leiter explained that the first track focuses on “achieving peace and reaching a comprehensive peace treaty,” while the second track is based on “fighting Hezbollah and completely dismantling it,” as he put it.

In a remarkable position, the Israeli ambassador said: “We want to reach a peace treaty as if Hezbollah no longer exists, and to fight Hezbollah as if there was no peace treaty,” adding: “I believe we will achieve both.”

These statements come at a time when the Lebanese-Israeli negotiations in Washington are witnessing widespread internal and regional interest, amid a sharp Lebanese division over the nature and goals of these talks, coinciding with the continued military escalation in the south.

The Israeli positions also reflect an attempt to link any future arrangements on the southern border to the Hezbollah weapons file, at a time when the resistance and many Lebanese parties refuse any discussion about this file under military pressure or under Israeli conditions.

Leiter’s statements raise additional sensitivity within Lebanon, especially with his public talk about a “peace treaty” and “dismantling Hezbollah,” in light of widespread Lebanese official and popular rejection of any normalization path with Israel outside the framework of restoring rights and stopping attacks.