After deadly strikes on Lebanon, Netanyahu now ready for peace talks

A day after deadly bombardment across Beirut, the Bekaa Valley and southern part of the country, which killed over 303 people, Israel has now signalled a possible diplomatic opening with Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had directed his government to begin peace talks with Lebanon, framing the move as a response to repeated outreach from Beirut.

"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. He made clear the scope of the talks, adding that they would focus on "disarming Hezbollah and establishing peaceful relations between Israel and Lebanon."

However, there are no indications that Iran is ready to ease its near-total blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a choke point that has already triggered one of the worst disruptions to global energy supplies in modern history, with Israel’s continued strikes on Lebanon emerging as a major obstacle to any breakthrough.

NO TIMELINE YET FOR TALKS

A senior Lebanese official told news agency Reuters that Beirut is pushing for a temporary ceasefire to create space for talks with Israel. The official said that any negotiations would follow a "separate track, but same model" as the Iran-US truce brokered by Pakistan, while stressing that Lebanon would require the United States to act as a guarantor for any potential agreement with Israel.

He added that no date or location has been finalised yet for the proposed truce talks, indicating that discussions remain at an early stage. However, according to Axios, the first meeting between Israel and Lebanon will take place at the State Department in Washington,

HEZBOLLAH REJECTS DIRECT NEGOTIATIONS WITH ISRAEL

Responding to Israel’s push for direct talks, Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Fayyad said the group has rejected direct negotiations with Israel and insisted that the Lebanese government should demand a ceasefire first before any further steps are taken.

Fayyad added that Beirut should also prioritise the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanese territory and ensure displaced residents can return to their homes.

LEBANON CALLS CEASEFIRE ONLY SOLUTION

Just before Netanyahu’s announcement, Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun made it clear that nothing can move forward unless the violence stops first, stressing that a ceasefire is the basic starting point for any serious talks.

"The only solution to the situation in Lebanon is to achieve a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, followed by direct negotiations between them," Aoun said. He added that efforts were underway on a diplomatic track, noting that the proposal had begun to receive a "positive" response from international stakeholders.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah continues to pound rockets at the border city of Nahariya. According to the IDF, the rockets fired from Lebanon struck open areas.

Iran had also sharpened its warning on ceasefire violations, asserting that any breach, particularly in Lebanon and across the "Axis of Resistance", will invite "explicit costs and strong responses."

The diplomatic shift comes amid one of the most intense phases of fighting in recent months. Israel launched a renewed offensive against Hezbollah after the Iran-backed militia began firing at Israel on March 2.

According to Lebanon, Israeli strikes have killed around 1,700 people and forced more than a million to flee their homes. On the other hand, at least 400 Hezbollah fighters have been killed, according to local media, which has launched hundreds of rockets and drones towards Israel in recent weeks.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz had said Hezbollah was seeking a ceasefire, claiming that Israeli operations killed more than 200 militants in the past day alone, pushing the total to over 1,400. These claims, however, could not be independently verified.