Netanyahu says he ordered his cabinet to enter 'direct negotiations' with Lebanon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he had ordered his cabinet to enter "direct negotiations" with Lebanon "as soon as possible," focusing particularly on the disarmament of Hezbollah.

"Following repeated requests from Lebanon to open direct negotiations with Israel, I instructed the cabinet yesterday [Wednesday] to begin direct negotiations with Lebanon without delay," Netanyahu said, as quoted by his office. "The negotiations will focus on the disarmament of Hezbollah and establishing peaceful relations between Israel and Lebanon," he added.

According to Axios reporter Barak Ravid, this statement follows phone calls he had Wednesday with President Donald Trump and White House envoy Steve Witkoff. Senior American officials said Witkoff asked Netanyahu to "calm" the strikes on Lebanon to facilitate the opening of negotiations. Earlier, NBC News reported that Trump had asked the Israeli prime minister during a call Wednesday to scale back Israel’s strikes in Lebanon to help ensure successful negotiations with Iran.

A senior Lebanese official told Reuters that Lebanon had spent the past 24 hours advocating for a temporary cease-fire to allow broader negotiations with Israel. "There is no cease-fire. The negotiations will begin in the coming days," an Israeli official told Axios.

The Lebanese official added that this would be "a separate track but following the same model" as the truce negotiated by Pakistan between the United States and Iran. No date or location has been set yet, but Lebanon is counting on the United States as a mediator and guarantor of any agreement.

A well-informed source told Ravid that the person who will lead the negotiations for Israel will be former minister Ron Dermer.

Hezbollah MP reaffirms his group's rejection of direct talks between Lebanon and Israel

A Hezbollah MP reaffirmed on Thursday his group's rejection of any direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his intention to begin direct talks with Beirut.

"We reiterate our rejection of any direct negotiations between Lebanon and the Israeli enemy, as well as the need to adhere to national principles, foremost among which are Israeli withdrawal, a cessation of hostilities, and the return of residents to their villages and towns," said Ali Fayad.

Hezbollah calls on the Lebanese government to establish a cease-fire "as a precondition before undertaking any other steps," Fayad added.