Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said that Tel Aviv was looking to begin "direct negotiations" with Lebanon as soon as possible.
Citing repeated ceasefire requests from Lebanon as the reason, Netanyahu's office wrote in an X post that the upcoming "negotiations will focus on the disarmament of Hezbollah" and establish peaceful relations between the two nations.
"Israel appreciates the call made today by the Prime Minister of Lebanon to demilitarise Beirut," the post added.
The negotiations will focus on the disarmament of Hezbollah and the establishing of peaceful relations between Israel and Lebanon.
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) April 9, 2026
Israel appreciates the call made today by the Prime Minister of Lebanon to demilitarize Beirut.
2/2
However, as per a new report from Axios, citing officials in the know, it was US President Donald Trump's Wednesday phone call with Israel that allegedly had an impact on the potential ceasefire talks between Israel and Lebanon.
It added that there would not yet be a ceasefire during the negotiations, citing an Israeli official.
Trump's call came ahead of the ceasefire talks between Iran and the US at Islamabad on Saturday, as Tehran has reiterated that Lebanon and other countries falling within the 'Axis of Resistance' were also part of its ceasefire with Washington, and that attacks on Beirut risked breaking the fragile two-week ceasefire.
In that regard, there is also a difference in rhetoric over the Lebanon bombings. US Vice-President J.D. Vance—who will represent the Washington delegation at the Islamabad talks—has called it a "legitimate misunderstanding", and has said that Iran would be "dumb" to keep it as a condition for the talks.
This comes as Israel's attacks on Lebanon threaten the stability of the two-week ceasefire, as Iran has claimed that Beirut was also included in the scope of the peace talks.
— THE WEEK (@TheWeekLive) April 9, 2026
(us iran war news israel lebanon, trump mojtaba, islamabad talks hormuz)https://t.co/wTPFZ1et9L
Iran, on the other hand, has cited Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif, who allegedly said that Lebanon was already involved in the scope of the ceasefire talks.
Tehran added that it had been on the verge of retaliating to Israel's attacks on Lebanon, but had chosen not to, due to the intervention of Pakistan and the "exchange of messages regarding US efforts".
This comes after Lebanon saw one of the worst days—in terms of casualties—of the war on Wednesday, leading to the deaths of more than 300 and injuries to more than 1,165 others, as per initial counts from Beirut's civil defence.
While the discussions remain at an early stage, the report has said that the first meeting between Israel and Lebanon would take place at the US State Department in Washington.
