Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he has ordered his cabinet to begin direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible,” following pressure from President Trump and White House envoy Steve Witkoff to scale back military operations and pursue diplomacy.
The directive came after calls Wednesday in which senior U.S. officials said Witkoff urged Netanyahu to “calm down” strikes in Lebanon and shift toward negotiations, signaling growing U.S. involvement in containing the conflict.
Netanyahu said the talks would center on disarming Hezbollah and establishing peaceful relations with Lebanon, adding that Israel “appreciates” calls from Lebanon’s leadership to demilitarize Beirut.
The first meeting is set to take place at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, with the U.S. delegation led by Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa. Israel will be represented by its Ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, while Lebanon’s delegation will be led by its Ambassador to Washington, Nada Hamadeh-Moawad.
