Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that he has instructed Israeli officials to begin direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible.
"In light of Lebanon's repeated requests to open direct negotiations with Israel, yesterday I instructed the cabinet to start direct talks with Lebanon as soon as possible," said Netanyahu.
According to him, the discussions will focus on "disarming Hezbollah and establishing peaceful relations between Israel and Lebanon." He added that Israel "welcomes the call of the Lebanese Prime Minister to demilitarize Beirut."
On the other hand, the office of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has not commented on Netanyahu's statements.
Meanwhile, Iran has previously warned that "its fingers remain on the trigger" if Israel continues attacks against Lebanon, describing them as violations of the ceasefire between the USA and Iran.