Protests in Beirut over Israel talks
Hezbollah supporters reject U.S.-mediated negotiations with Israel
Hundreds of protesters, including Hezbollah supporters, marched in Beirut to oppose planned talks between Lebanese and Israeli envoys in Washington, waving Lebanese and Hezbollah flags and holding images of Hassan Nasrallah and Naim Qassem. Demonstrators chanted that resistance was necessary to defend Lebanese territory and urged the government to cancel any direct engagement, warning that talks risk political normalization with Israel.
Lebanese and Israeli officials issued conflicting accounts of the Washington meetings’ scope: Beirut said talks would cover a ceasefire announcement and setting a start date for bilateral discussions under U.S. mediation, while Israel described the meetings as the start of formal peace negotiations and said it would not discuss a ceasefire with Hezbollah. Security forces were deployed in the capital to manage crowds; protests remained largely peaceful with no major violence reported.
Political factions in Lebanon are split between those favoring pragmatic dialogue to stabilise the southern border and those rejecting direct negotiations with Israel. Observers say the unrest underscores deep domestic divisions and the sensitivity of any diplomatic moves amid ongoing regional tensions.
