Israel-Lebanon maritime border talks resume on Oct. 28

Maritime border talks brought Israeli and Lebanese negotiators together for the first time in more than 2 decades on Wednesday, Oct. 14 at UNIFIL HQ in Naqoura. The delegations passed messages to a UN interpreter who shuttled between them to prevent direct communication. The talks were adjourned until Oct. 28.

Hizballah slammed the event as a grave blow for the “resistance” that played into the hands of the Israeli enemy and “its quest for normal relations in any shape or form.” The pro-Iranian Hizballah demanded a change on the delegation’s makeup, charging that the presence of civilians alongside military officers violated the terms of the agreed framework and was prejudicial to Lebanon’s vital interests.

Lebanese Deputy Chief of Staff Brig. Bassam Yassin, in opening the meeting, urged a swift outcome as a supreme interest of his country, and depicted the first round as “the first step in a thousand miles.”