Israel wants to start peace talks with Lebanon 'as soon as possible,' says Netanyahu

Jerusalem: Israeli ​Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday ​that he has given an instruction for Israel to begin peace talks with Lebanon that would also include the disarming ‌of Hezbollah.

"In ⁠light ⁠of Lebanon's repeated requests to open direct negotiations with Israel, ​I instructed the cabinet yesterday to start direct negotiations with Lebanon ​as soon as possible," Netanyahu said in a statement. "The negotiations will focus on disarming Hezbollah and establishing ​peaceful relations between Israel and Lebanon."


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There ⁠was no ‌immediate response from the Lebanese ​government to ​Netanyahu's remarks.

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

He said he was working on a diplomatic track on this matter that was starting to be seen "positively" by ‌international actors.





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Israel launched a renewed offensive against Hezbollah after the Iran-backed militia began firing ​at Israel ​on March 2. Israeli ⁠strikes have killed around 1,700 people and uprooted more than a million people, according to Lebanese authorities.

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