Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered his government to begin direct talks with Lebanon, he said in a statement on Thursday. Netanyahu said the talks would focus on the disarmament of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese political and militant group, and establishing peaceful relations. A US State Department official confirmed it would host a meeting next week to discuss ongoing ceasefire negotiations with Israel and Lebanon. Lebanese officials called for a ceasefire before the talks begin, but Netanyahu in a subsequent address to residents of northern Israel said: There is no ceasefire in Lebanon.
His announcement came after a massive wave of Israeli strikes against Lebanon on Wednesday which killed 303 people, according to Lebanon's health ministry. It also said 1,150 others were wounded in the strikes, which have threatened to derail the fragile ceasefire between the US, Israel, and Iran. That ceasefire began with confusion over whether Lebanon, Israel's second front, was to be included. Iranian officials and mediators from Pakistan said it was, while US and Israeli officials said clearly that it was not.
Amid the confusion, the wave of Israeli strikes on Lebanon – the heaviest since the conflict began six weeks ago – prompted Iran to declare that Israel was breaking the terms of the ceasefire, halt passage of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and threatened retaliatory strikes. Israel's military continues to occupy a large part of the south of Lebanon, where it has destroyed villages in recent days. Without a commitment to a temporary ceasefire at least, it is not clear how productive talks could proceed between the two sides.
It is also unclear how much sway the Lebanese government, with which the Israelis will be negotiating, will have over Hezbollah, which despite having representation in the Lebanese government is a separate entity backed by Iran. The Lebanese government banned Hezbollah's military activities in early March, days after the start of war with Israel, but it has not stopped the group from carrying out military operations.
On Thursday, Lebanon's cabinet instructed government security forces to restrict weapons in Beirut exclusively to state institutions. The army and security forces are requested to immediately begin reinforcing the full imposition of state authority over Beirut Governorate, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said at the end of a cabinet meeting. Netanyahu's office said Israel appreciates today's call by the Prime Minister of Lebanon to demilitarise Beirut. According to US outlet Axios, Netanyahu's statement came after he held calls with US President Donald Trump and White House envoy Steve Witkoff, with senior US officials having asked Netanyahu to calm down Israeli strikes and open negotiations. The publication quoted a senior Israeli official who said the direct negotiations will begin next week in Washington. More than 1,800 people have been killed in the conflict, with many others displaced, as tension continues to rise in the region.
His announcement came after a massive wave of Israeli strikes against Lebanon on Wednesday which killed 303 people, according to Lebanon's health ministry. It also said 1,150 others were wounded in the strikes, which have threatened to derail the fragile ceasefire between the US, Israel, and Iran. That ceasefire began with confusion over whether Lebanon, Israel's second front, was to be included. Iranian officials and mediators from Pakistan said it was, while US and Israeli officials said clearly that it was not.
Amid the confusion, the wave of Israeli strikes on Lebanon – the heaviest since the conflict began six weeks ago – prompted Iran to declare that Israel was breaking the terms of the ceasefire, halt passage of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and threatened retaliatory strikes. Israel's military continues to occupy a large part of the south of Lebanon, where it has destroyed villages in recent days. Without a commitment to a temporary ceasefire at least, it is not clear how productive talks could proceed between the two sides.
It is also unclear how much sway the Lebanese government, with which the Israelis will be negotiating, will have over Hezbollah, which despite having representation in the Lebanese government is a separate entity backed by Iran. The Lebanese government banned Hezbollah's military activities in early March, days after the start of war with Israel, but it has not stopped the group from carrying out military operations.
On Thursday, Lebanon's cabinet instructed government security forces to restrict weapons in Beirut exclusively to state institutions. The army and security forces are requested to immediately begin reinforcing the full imposition of state authority over Beirut Governorate, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said at the end of a cabinet meeting. Netanyahu's office said Israel appreciates today's call by the Prime Minister of Lebanon to demilitarise Beirut. According to US outlet Axios, Netanyahu's statement came after he held calls with US President Donald Trump and White House envoy Steve Witkoff, with senior US officials having asked Netanyahu to calm down Israeli strikes and open negotiations. The publication quoted a senior Israeli official who said the direct negotiations will begin next week in Washington. More than 1,800 people have been killed in the conflict, with many others displaced, as tension continues to rise in the region.
