Israel to Negotiate with Lebanon Under Fire as Yechiel Leiter Named Lead Envoy

Israeli officials confirm negotiations with Lebanon will occur "under fire" next week in Washington. Ambassador Yechiel Leiter to lead the Israeli delegation.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 9, 2026, 1:40 PM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from The Times of Israel

Negotiations to Proceed Amid Active Combat

Israel has formally rejected the prospect of a humanitarian or tactical pause in hostilities prior to the start of direct talks with the Lebanese state. A senior Israeli official confirmed on Thursday that while the government has authorized a diplomatic track, the Israeli Air Force and ground units will continue their operations against Hezbollah infrastructure. This "negotiation under fire" doctrine is designed to prevent the militant group from utilizing a diplomatic window to regroup or rearm. According to officials in Jerusalem, the objective is to maintain maximum military leverage until a definitive agreement on Hezbollah’s total disarmament is reached and verified by international observers.

Leiter to Lead High Stakes Washington Delegation

Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter has been selected to lead the Israeli negotiating team, according to multiple reports confirmed by Axios. Leiter, a close confidant of Prime Minister Netanyahu, is expected to arrive in Washington next week for a first-of-its-his-kind summit at the U.S. State Department. He will be joined by a specialized team of military and legal experts tasked with drafting the technical requirements for a buffer zone in southern Lebanon. The choice of Leiter, who has a direct line to the Trump administration, underscores the central role the United States will play as a facilitator and guarantor of any eventual treaty.

The Composition of Lebanese and American Teams

The upcoming Washington summit will feature a tripartite diplomatic structure aimed at isolating Hezbollah from the Lebanese sovereign state. The American delegation will be led by Michel Issa, President Trump’s newly appointed Ambassador to Lebanon, who has spent recent weeks coordinating with regional powers. On the Lebanese side, Ambassador to Washington Nada Hamadeh-Moawad is slated to lead the delegation. This high-level representation from Beirut suggests that President Joseph Aoun is fully committed to the diplomatic path, despite the ongoing Israeli bombardment of Lebanese territory. The goal of the first meeting is reportedly to establish a communication protocol and define the "red lines" for a permanent security arrangement.