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Agartala, Tripura
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has authorised direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible,” even as a fragile two-week truce between the United States, Israel, and Iran hangs in the balance.
“In light of 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,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
The talks are expected to focus on disarming Hezbollah and establishing formal peace relations between Israel and Lebanon.
The statement also noted Israel’s appreciation of calls from Lebanon’s leadership to demilitarise Beirut.
Lebanon has spent the past 24 hours advocating for a temporary ceasefire to enable broader negotiations, a senior Lebanese official told Reuters.
The official described the proposal as a “separate track but the same model” as the fragile truce brokered by Pakistan between the US and Iran.
Netanyahu’s announcement comes after Israel launched its largest wave of strikes on Lebanon since the conflict with Hezbollah began on March 2, reportedly leaving more than 200 people dead.
While Iran insists that any ceasefire must include Lebanon, both the US and Israel maintain that Lebanon was never part of the original agreement.
US President Donald Trump reportedly urged Netanyahu in a phone call to scale back strikes on Lebanon to preserve ongoing negotiations with Iran, according to NBC News.
The call came after Netanyahu signalled his intent to continue military operations despite diplomatic efforts.
Iran has accused Israel of violating the ceasefire through its actions in Lebanon.
Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said Tehran was “on the verge” of responding to the escalation but held back after intervention by Pakistan, according to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency.
