Lebanon PM meets Rubio in Washington amid stalled peace deal with Israel

Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Monday, as the US attempts to advance a stalled peace deal between Beirut and Israel. The negotiations on the US-brokered Israel-Lebanon framework, initially agreed in June, have slowed due to ongoing Israeli bombings in southern Lebanon, despite a supposed ceasefire. Lebanon has also failed to disarm Hezbollah, a key component of the deal.

Following the meeting, Salam expressed optimism for a "renewed partnership" with the US, aimed at rebuilding the state and strengthening its legitimate institutions. He urged the US to activate the trilateral framework through reciprocity and gradualism, and called for a clear timeline. Implementing the deal should coincide with Israeli withdrawal and the extension of Lebanese state authority, according to Salam.

The State Department stated that Rubio reiterated the US commitment to supporting Lebanon in implementing the framework deal, which officials described as the only path to durable peace between Lebanon and Israel. A central dispute in the implementation of the framework is the order of events: Lebanon wants an Israeli withdrawal first, while Israel demands Hezbollah be disarmed first, leading to a deadlock.

Hanin Ghaddar, senior fellow at The Washington Institute's Linda and Tony Rubin Programme on Arab Politics, clarified that the agreement is clear on the next steps. Israel has already withdrawn from one pilot zone, and Lebanon must disarm and dismantle Hezbollah before seeking further Israeli withdrawal. "Lebanon deployed the army but has not done the disarmament," Ghaddar noted, emphasizing that the sequence now involves Lebanon taking action before requesting additional Israeli withdrawal.

Salam did not mention Hezbollah's disarmament or dismantlement in his statement, instead discussing the "confinement of arms to the hands of the state" and "exclusivity of arms." Ghaddar argued that Iran-backed Hezbollah is now "a shadow of what used to be," constituting only about 10-20% of its former strength. She highlighted deeper political issues, such as Hezbollah's continued influence within Lebanese state institutions.

Ghaddar concluded that Washington should establish a verification mechanism and employ sanctions to reduce Hezbollah's influence over Lebanese institutions.

Finance Minister Yassine Jaber also visited Washington to meet International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. Lebanon seeks a new staff-level agreement with the IMF after the country's economic crisis, caused by years of mismanagement and corruption, led to a $70 billion loss. Jaber and Salam met US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who urged the Lebanese government to take proactive measures to disrupt Iranian and Hezbollah financial networks and advance key financial sector reforms to restore confidence in Lebanon's banking system.