Levant in March 2026: the most important developments in politics
In the Levant in March 2026, politics centered on the war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon and on efforts to open talks. On 14 March France offered to host ceasefire talks between Israel and Lebanon in Paris, and President Emmanuel Macron urged direct negotiations and suggested Lebanon recognize Israel as part of a peace deal. Reports said direct talks would start within days; Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar denied this on 15 March. On 19 March Lebanon called for immediate direct talks and for US involvement, and on 25 March the talks were reported to be stalled.
Inside Lebanon, the government banned Hezbollah's military and security activities on 2 March, which Hezbollah criticized. On 9 March parliament extended its own term by two years, postponing the elections planned for May. The same day Hezbollah pledged allegiance to Iran's new supreme leader, and Lebanese leaders criticized the pledge. On 24 March Lebanon declared Iran's ambassador persona non grata; Hezbollah boycotted a cabinet session over the decision, and on 30 March Iran said the ambassador would stay in Beirut.
Israel and its critics traded warnings. On 3 March Israel gave representatives of Iran 24 hours to leave Lebanon and approved taking control of more high ground in the south. Defense Minister Israel Katz said on 12 March that Israel would 'take the territory ourselves' if Lebanon could not stop Hezbollah, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on 24 March that the Litani River should become the border. Germany, France, the UK and Canada warned against a major ground offensive on 16 March, and Spain, Canada and Australia opposed an Israeli occupation of the south on 25 March. UN Secretary-General António Guterres visited Beirut on 14 March.
Elsewhere, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said on 10 March that Syria stands with Lebanon in disarming Hezbollah, while a US envoy denied that Washington was encouraging Damascus to send forces into Lebanon. On 11 March the UN Security Council adopted a resolution demanding an end to Iranian strikes on Gulf states and Jordan.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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