Lebanon’s Ghassan Salame: Israel talks ‘not negotiations,’ Hezbollah disarmament by force ‘illusion’

Lebanon’s Ghassan Salame: Israel talks ‘not negotiations,’ Hezbollah disarmament by force ‘illusion’

From On the Middle East with Amberin Zaman by AL-Monitor

April 13, 2026 · 34 min · Episode 243

About this episode

Ghassan Salame discusses the escalating violence in Lebanon and the challenges surrounding Hezbollah disarmament and US-backed talks.

Lebanon faces escalating violence and mounting displacement as Israeli airstrikes and Hezbollah rocket attacks intensify ahead of planned US-backed talks in Washington on April 14. I speak with Lebanese Culture Minister Ghassan Salame, who says Hezbollah disarmament by force is an illusion, warns the Washington meeting is not yet real negotiations, and cautions that continued escalation could further destabilize Lebanon. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

People in this episode

Guest: Ghassan Salame

Topics covered

  • Lebanon
  • Hezbollah
  • Israeli airstrikes
  • US-backed talks
  • disarmament
  • escalation
  • political instability

Keywords

  • Lebanon
  • Hezbollah
  • Israeli airstrikes
  • disarmament
  • US talks
  • political instability
  • violence
  • displacement

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Hezbollah, US

Places: Lebanon, Israel

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