Lebanon and Israel have not talked directly in decades. But the Iran war has upended the way we understand politics in the Middle East. On Tuesday they are due to begin talks to try to find a solution that could lead to peace between the two countries.

The talks come less than a week after deadly attacks by Israel in Lebanon that killed 357 people. The bombings also put a strain on the ceasefire that had just been announced between the US and Iran. Yet the negotiations in Washington will not include Hezbollah, which Israel wants to remove from Lebanon.

William Christou reports for the Guardian from Beirut and says it is hard to overstate how surprising the talks are. “Lebanon and Israel have been at war in some form since the early 1980s. You’re not allowed to enter Lebanon if you have an Israeli stamp in your passport. The two don’t have diplomatic relations. So the fact that these talks are happening directly between the two governments is something that’s really astonishing.”

So why, asks Nosheen Iqbal, are these talks taking place? Because the US is putting pressure on Israel and Iran also wants a ceasefire so Hezbollah is allowing them to happen. Yet, Nosheen hears, if they result in the Lebanese government and Israel working together to neutralise Hezbollah that is also a worry for the Lebanese people because it could lead to civil unrest. “I’ve spoken to some people who say that they are buying weapons as much they can because they fear what’s coming next,” William says. “People I’ve spoken to outside Beirut are volunteering for night patrols to make sure nobody comes into their village. Tensions are ratcheting up.”