Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem has said that the group would not engage directly with Israeli negotiators and urged the Lebanese government to cancel a planned Washington meeting with the Israeli side.
He has dismissed negotiations as futile, as the pro-Iran group continues fighting in southern Lebanon.
While US and Iranian delegations met in Pakistan, the reported deadlock over the peace talks persisted despite the 21-hour-long negotiations led by US Vice President JD Vance from the US side and Mohammad Ghalibaf from the Iranian side.
According to Pakistani sources, while both sides accommodated the majority of each other’s demands, the deadlock over the inclusion of Lebanon remained.
The only reason the peace talks in Islamabad broke down was due to Lebanon, after Iranian negotiators insisted on including Lebanon in the peace deal, while the Houthis, PMF, and Hamas were already covered.
Meanwhile, fighting in the south of Lebanon continues between Israeli forces and Hezbollah. Thousands have died in the Iran and Lebanon conflicts.
According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, over 2,055 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since March 2, 2026. Other reports cite similar figures for the ongoing 2026 conflict.
Over 6,500 people have been wounded, and approximately 1.2 million people have been displaced.
The Iranian peace delegation in Pakistan had reportedly told the US negotiating team that there would be no ceasefire until Lebanon was included.
Although US Vice President JD Vance denied it, he did not rule out the possibility for further talks with Tehran.
