Israel Announces Direct Negotiations with Lebanon on Hezbollah Disarmament Amid Ongoing Conflict

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Thursday that he has instructed his cabinet to initiate direct negotiations with Lebanon. The talks aim to address the disarmament of Hezbollah and the normalization of peaceful relations between Israel and Lebanon. These negotiations mark the first direct discussions between the two nations on this issue.

U.S. State Department in Washington, involving Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors. Axios reported that Israel does not consider Lebanon part of the existing ceasefire framework with other parties. An Israeli official cited by CNN stated that discussions will proceed under ongoing bombardment, with no ceasefire in Lebanon.

“— Benjamin Netanyahu, Thursday (spectatorindex) Israeli Channel 13 reported that Netanyahu is dialing back strikes in Lebanon as talks are scheduled for next week. However, Channel 12 cited an Israeli official expressing no major expectations for success in the negotiations. On the same day, Israeli Channel 13 reported the launch of five missiles from Lebanon toward the city of Nahariya.”

Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated that Lebanon was included in the ceasefire deal, blaming the United States for any failures. Iran's president remarked that Israeli attacks on Lebanon render negotiations meaningless and affirmed that Iran's fingers remain on the trigger.

Pakistan's UN envoy asserted that Lebanon was always part of the ceasefire agreement and expressed bafflement at contrary claims. Iran has linked ceasefire progress in its own context to a real deal in Lebanon, defining a real ceasefire as one without Israeli assassinations or selective enforcement.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has asked Netanyahu to tone down strikes in Lebanon, according to NBC. Analyst Ian Bremmer noted difficulty in seeing the Iran-Israel ceasefire component holding, questioning its impact on broader U.S.-Iran agreements.