Lebanese PM Rejects Israeli ‘Buffer Zone’ Ahead of Critical Washington Peace Talks

PM Nawaf Salam says Lebanon "cannot live" with an Israeli security zone and calls for a full withdrawal ahead of today's direct talks in Washington.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 23, 2026, 10:59 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from The Washington Post.

The Red Line of Territorial Sovereignty

As Lebanese and Israeli delegations prepare for high-stakes negotiations in Washington D.C. today, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has established a firm "red line" regarding Lebanon's southern border. Salam stated that Beirut will categorically reject any proposal that includes an Israeli-controlled buffer zone. He argued that such a zone would effectively prevent thousands of displaced Lebanese citizens from returning to their homes and would stall the reconstruction of villages destroyed during the recent conflict. "We cannot live with a so-called buffer zone," Salam told The Washington Post, framing the demand for a total IDF withdrawal as a matter of non-negotiable national sovereignty.

The Role of U.S. Leverage

The Prime Minister emphasized that the success of the current diplomatic track hinges almost entirely on the United States. Acknowledging that Washington was the "critical" party in brokering the fragile two-week ceasefire, Salam expressed hope that the U.S. would now exercise its unique leverage to convince Israel to moderate its security demands. While the outcome of today's second round of direct talks remains uncertain, the Lebanese government is entering the negotiations with a focused objective: securing a commitment to the 1923 international boundary and the full implementation of UN resolutions without a permanent foreign military footprint.

Strengthening the Army to Disarm Hezbollah

In a notable shift in rhetoric regarding internal security, Salam addressed the status of Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group and political party. He asserted that "a state cannot have two armies" and outlined a strategy to disarm the group by significantly bolstering the capabilities of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). While Salam acknowledged that disarmament is a complex "process" that will not occur overnight, he insisted that the Lebanese government is "not intimidated" by the group. By positioning the national army as the sole legitimate defender of the country, Salam hopes to eventually integrate or dissolve Hezbollah’s parallel military structure.