A senior official in the Lebanese president's office has told the BBC that Lebanon will participate in direct negotiations with Israel next week only if there is a ceasefire in place beforehand. It comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorised direct talks following what he said were 'repeated requests from the Lebanese government'.
A US State Department official said it would host a meeting next week in Washington 'to discuss ongoing ceasefire negotiations' between the two countries.
Israeli air strikes have continued to hit Lebanon, with 21 people killed in the latest attacks, Lebanese authorities say. Hezbollah has also fired more rockets at several places in Israel.
Lebanese authorities said the deaths included seven members of the same family in the town of Abbassieh and 11 people in Zrarieh. A medical centre in Burj Qalaway was also hit, killing two people, while a drone strike targeted an ambulance in Toul, with no casualties reported.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it struck about 10 rocket launchers on Thursday night which it said had fired on northern Israel. It said it was continuing to locate and destroy more. Hezbollah also fired rockets at Israel overnight, triggering sirens across the country. One was fired at the southern coastal city of Ashdod - the furthest Hezbollah has targeted in the current fighting - but was intercepted, the IDF said.
In a statement addressed to residents of northern Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu said there was 'no ceasefire in Lebanon'. He added that 'after repeated requests from the Lebanese government to open peace negotiations with us, I instructed the cabinet last night to open direct negotiations with Lebanon in order to achieve two goals: One - disarming Hezbollah. And the second - a historic and sustainable peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon'.
Direct talks between Lebanon and Israel would be highly unusual, with the two countries historically communicating through intermediaries. Efforts to establish negotiations have been ongoing since a ceasefire agreement in November 2024, with US envoys previously mediating indirect talks between the two sides.
In Beirut, rescue teams are currently recovering bodies following the heaviest Israeli air strikes since the start of the latest fighting, leading to claims of hundreds of casualties and displaced individuals. The humanitarian crisis in Lebanon is growing, with rising food costs and urgent calls for international aid as the conflict continues.
A US State Department official said it would host a meeting next week in Washington 'to discuss ongoing ceasefire negotiations' between the two countries.
Israeli air strikes have continued to hit Lebanon, with 21 people killed in the latest attacks, Lebanese authorities say. Hezbollah has also fired more rockets at several places in Israel.
Lebanese authorities said the deaths included seven members of the same family in the town of Abbassieh and 11 people in Zrarieh. A medical centre in Burj Qalaway was also hit, killing two people, while a drone strike targeted an ambulance in Toul, with no casualties reported.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it struck about 10 rocket launchers on Thursday night which it said had fired on northern Israel. It said it was continuing to locate and destroy more. Hezbollah also fired rockets at Israel overnight, triggering sirens across the country. One was fired at the southern coastal city of Ashdod - the furthest Hezbollah has targeted in the current fighting - but was intercepted, the IDF said.
In a statement addressed to residents of northern Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu said there was 'no ceasefire in Lebanon'. He added that 'after repeated requests from the Lebanese government to open peace negotiations with us, I instructed the cabinet last night to open direct negotiations with Lebanon in order to achieve two goals: One - disarming Hezbollah. And the second - a historic and sustainable peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon'.
Direct talks between Lebanon and Israel would be highly unusual, with the two countries historically communicating through intermediaries. Efforts to establish negotiations have been ongoing since a ceasefire agreement in November 2024, with US envoys previously mediating indirect talks between the two sides.
In Beirut, rescue teams are currently recovering bodies following the heaviest Israeli air strikes since the start of the latest fighting, leading to claims of hundreds of casualties and displaced individuals. The humanitarian crisis in Lebanon is growing, with rising food costs and urgent calls for international aid as the conflict continues.
