Netanyahu announces talks with Lebanon on 'disarming Hezbollah'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayhu on Thursday announced that Israel would pursue direct talks with Lebanon aimed at "disarming Hezbollah" but would not observe a ceasefire in the country.

The announcement comes as fierce fighting in southern Lebanon rages between the Israel Defense Forces and Hezbollah, despite the U.S. and Iran announcing a ceasefire to negotiate an end to the broader war. Iran has insisted that the agreement included a ceasefire in Lebanon, which the White House has denied. Tehran has threatened to walk away from negotiations if Israel does not stop fighting.

In light of Lebanon's repeated requests to open direct negotiations with Israel, I instructed yesterday to begin direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible," Netanyahu said, according to Axios. The talks, he said, ""will focus on disarming Hezbollah and establishing peaceful relations between Israel and Lebanon."

Hezbollah controls large swathes of Lebanon's territory and functions as a de facto independent military. The ability of the official government to "disarm" the Iranian proxy seems in doubt.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.