"In light of Lebanon's repeated appeals to open direct negotiations with Israel, yesterday I directed the cabinet to begin direct talks with Lebanon as soon as possible," Netanyahu announced. He stated that the negotiations will focus on disarming Hezbollah and establishing peaceful relations between Israel and Lebanon. Netanyahu added that Israel "values today's appeal by the Lebanese prime minister for the demilitarization of Beirut." Iran has repeatedly warned that it will not idly watch attacks on Hezbollah, believing that this front is also covered by the ceasefire brokered through Pakistan. Meanwhile, due to Israeli attacks on Lebanon, Iran has halted the opening of the Strait of Hormuz. On Wednesday, Israel carried out massive strikes on Lebanon, killing hundreds of Lebanese and injuring many others. In the attack, the nephew of Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem was also killed, with the target allegedly being the leader himself. Many European countries have called for Lebanon to be included in the ceasefire. Donald Trump and the U.S. administration have claimed that Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire. From Iran, it was conveyed that they postponed an attack on Israel after Pakistan's intervention last night. American media reported that Trump asked Netanyahu to limit strikes to avoid jeopardizing negotiations scheduled for Saturday in Islamabad.