Israeli PM Orders Direct Talks with Lebanon

JAKARTA - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said he had ordered direct talks with Lebanon aimed at disarming Hezbollah and building a "peaceful relationship."

"Given Lebanon's repeated requests to open direct negotiations with Israel, I instructed the cabinet yesterday to begin direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible," Prime Minister Netanyahu said in a statement, launching Al Arabiya (10/4).

"Negotiations will focus on the disarmament of Hezbollah and building a peaceful relationship between Israel and Lebanon. Israel appreciates the call of the Prime Minister of Lebanon today to demilitarise Beirut," he added.

Following the announcement, an Israeli official told Axios, "there is no ceasefire in Lebanon" to date and "negotiations with the Lebanese government will begin in the coming days."

Lebanon has spent the past 24 hours advocating a temporary ceasefire to allow for broader talks with Israel, a senior Lebanese official told Reuters, saying it would be a "separate track but the same model" as the fragile ceasefire mediated by Pakistan between the US and Iran.

The official said no date or location had been set, but Lebanon needs the US as a mediator and guarantor of any deal.

A source familiar with the matter told Al Arabiya English that Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam is expected to visit Washington next week for a meeting with senior US officials.

"We can confirm the State Department will hold a meeting next week to discuss ongoing ceasefire negotiations with Israel and Lebanon," a US State Department official said.

Separately, a member of parliament from Hezbollah later on Thursday reiterated the group's rejection of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel.

"We reiterate our rejection of direct negotiations between Lebanon and the Israeli enemy, and the need to uphold national principles, especially the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the cessation of hostilities, and the return of residents to their villages and cities," parliamentarian Ali Fayyad said in a statement shared by Hezbollah's media channel.

Fayyad added that the group called on the Lebanese government to "respect the ceasefire as a prerequisite before proceeding with further steps."

An hour before Netanyahu's statement, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said "the only solution to the situation in Lebanon is to reach a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, followed by direct negotiations between them."

He said he was trying to work through diplomatic channels in this matter, which was beginning to be seen "positively" by international actors.

Israel launched a new offensive against Hezbollah after the Iran-backed militia began firing on Israel on March 2.

Israeli attacks have killed about 1,700 people and displaced more than a million, according to Lebanese authorities.

At least 400 Hezbollah fighters have been killed, according to sources familiar with the militia, which has fired hundreds of rockets and drones into Israel.