Internal discord among Lebanon’s highest-ranking officials is undermining Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic efforts to help the nation establish a cohesive approach toward potential peace discussions with Israel, according to Lebanese sources and international diplomats who spoke with Reuters Thursday.
The Saudi kingdom, which brokered the 1990 accord that concluded Lebanon’s lengthy civil conflict, has increased its diplomatic involvement with Lebanon in recent weeks. This comes as a fragile U.S.-mediated ceasefire has struggled to completely end the nearly two-month conflict between Israel and the Iranian-supported militant organization Hezbollah.
Relations between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon had deteriorated over several years due to Hezbollah’s dominant influence in Lebanese governance and security matters. However, the Sunni-majority kingdom now perceives an opportunity following the militant group’s significant weakening during its 2024 confrontation with Israel.
The April 16 ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon was designed by the United States to pave the way for direct peace negotiations, potentially reshaping Lebanon’s internal political landscape and regional position. However, Lebanese leadership remains divided on both the format and objectives of such negotiations.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has advocated for direct meetings with Israel in Washington and stated the ceasefire should evolve into “permanent agreements.” While he hasn’t explicitly endorsed a comprehensive peace treaty, two sources with knowledge of Aoun’s stance revealed to Reuters that he has privately indicated willingness to establish normal relations with Israel to end the conflict.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who maintains ties with Hezbollah, opposes direct negotiations, mirroring the Shiite militant organization’s stance. According to two Lebanese sources familiar with his views, Berri favors pursuing a non-aggression agreement with Israel rather than a comprehensive peace treaty.
Saudi envoy Prince Yazid bin Farhan traveled to Beirut last week to urge Aoun, Berri, and Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to develop a unified negotiating position and demonstrate solidarity through a joint meeting, according to two senior Lebanese political sources who met with bin Farhan and a Western official briefed on the discussions.
However, plans for such a gathering this week collapsed due to escalating tensions after Berri publicly criticized Aoun’s statements about negotiations as “inaccurate, to say the least,” all three sources confirmed.
Neither Aoun’s office nor Saudi government media representatives immediately responded to requests for comment. The presidency announced Thursday that Aoun met with Salam, notably excluding any mention of Berri.
The disagreements between Aoun and Berri, whose positions are determined by Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing arrangement, mirror wider societal divisions regarding negotiations with Israel.
Some Lebanese citizens view direct talks and rapid peace agreements as the only solution to end Lebanon’s long history of Israeli military incursions.
However, Hezbollah and much of the broader Shiite Muslim community, who have suffered the heaviest casualties from Israeli attacks, strongly reject face-to-face negotiations and diplomatic normalization. Protesters opposing talks earlier this month demanded the government’s removal.
Saudi Arabia’s intervention with Lebanese officials was motivated by concerns about potential instability and worries that Lebanon was advancing toward peace with Israel too rapidly, according to a Gulf source with knowledge of the situation, the two senior Lebanese political sources, and the Western official.
Bin Farhan obtained assurances that Hezbollah would not attempt to overthrow the Lebanese government and warned Lebanese leaders last week that Beirut’s peace progress with Israel should not exceed Saudi Arabia’s pace, the four sources indicated.
Saudi Arabia has consistently maintained it will only join the Abraham Accords normalizing relations with Israel if there’s agreement on a framework for Palestinian statehood.
U.S. President Donald Trump, eager to expand the accords, announced this month he would invite Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House for discussions.
Bin Farhan recommended that Lebanese authorities postpone any meeting between Aoun and Netanyahu, the two senior Lebanese political sources reported.
Nevertheless, Saudi Arabia does support Lebanon working toward a “detente” with Israel that would end regional instability, according to the Gulf source and one of the Lebanese sources.
Israeli military actions have resulted in over 2,500 deaths in Lebanon and displaced more than 1.2 million people since the current round of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah commenced March 2, Lebanese authorities report.
The April 16 ceasefire, which enabled separate negotiations regarding the Iran conflict, halted strikes on Beirut and its southern suburbs but continued in other Lebanese regions. An Israeli attack in southern Lebanon Tuesday resulted in three civil defense workers’ deaths.
