Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has instructed his cabinet to open “direct negotiations” with Lebanon on disarming Hezbollah.
The proposal, a day after Israeli attacks killed more than 200 people, follows pleas from Lebanon for a seat at the table in Middle East peace talks.
The bombings in Beirut shattered hopes that the US-Iran ceasefire would extend to Lebanon, raising fears of derailing the entire peace process.
But “in light of Lebanon's repeated requests to open direct negotiations with Israel, I instructed the cabinet yesterday to start direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible,” Mr Netanyahu said.
He added that the proposed talks would focus on the disarmament of Hezbollah and the establishment of peaceful relations between Israel and Lebanon.
There was no immediate reaction from Lebanon. President Joseph Aoun had said earlier on Thursday that a ceasefire should come before talks.
Israel has made similar proposals before. Last August, it said a “phased reduction” of troops would be carried out if the Lebanese army took steps to disarm Hezbollah. A rare meeting of Israeli and Lebanese representatives took place in December.
But there was no Israeli withdrawal even after Lebanon said it had completed the first phase of a disarmament plan.
Major attacks
After a month of resumed fighting, Israel carried out some of its biggest attacks on Lebanon on Wednesday, killing at least 203 people, according to Lebanese Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine. The civil defence had earlier reported a higher death toll of 254.
Israel bombed more targets in Lebanon on Thursday, placing the Middle East ceasefire in further jeopardy.
Iranian politicians have hinted the wider talks could collapse if there are further attacks on Lebanon. “Such actions signal deception and non-compliance, rendering negotiations meaningless,” President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Thursday.
But Israel, which invaded Lebanon last month in parallel with the war on Iran, says its actions there are not covered by the ceasefire announced late on Tuesday by US President Donald Trump.
The US-Iran talks are due to begin in Islamabad this weekend. As well as Lebanon, key issues to be addressed include the future of the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's uranium stockpile.
Sources with direct knowledge of mediation efforts told The National on Thursday that representatives from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey will be involved, as well as China in a behind-the-scenes role.
One proposal, according to the sources, is for Iran to be allowed to collect transit fees on the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for transferring its highly enriched uranium stockpile to the safekeeping of a “neutral” party.
US Vice President JD Vance, the sources said, was likely to head the delegation, with fellow negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner seen by Iran as biased in favour of Israel.
Lebanon has pushed to be involved in the peace process. “We have the capability and the means to negotiate, and consequently, we do not want anyone to negotiate on our behalf,” President Aoun told a cabinet meeting on Thursday. “This is something we will not accept.”
Announcing the proposed talks, Mr Netanyahu said Israel appreciated a call earlier on Thursday by the Prime Minister of Lebanon, Nawaf Salam, to clamp down on Hezbollah in Beirut.
Mr Salam ordered Lebanese security forces to strengthen their control of Beirut governorate and ensure they were the only ones carrying arms in the area.
The US has also said Lebanon is not covered by the truce, but Iran and Pakistan, which acted as mediator, say it was explicitly part of the deal. A host of countries, including Britain and France, said the truce should extend to Lebanon.
