🔥Netanyahu orders direct talks with Lebanon; the first round will be held in the U.S. next week

The Prime Minister’s Office of Israel said in a statement on the 9th that Prime Minister Netanyahu had instructed the government the day before to begin direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible. The talks will focus on disarming Lebanon’s Hezbollah and establishing peace relations between Israel and Lebanon. The statement noted that this move was made in the context of Lebanon’s repeated requests to open direct negotiations with Israel. Netanyahu said that on the 9th, Lebanese Prime Minister Salam called to seek the demilitarization of Beirut. Israel and Lebanon have not established diplomatic relations. According to the U.S. news website Axios, an Israeli senior official said that the first round of direct talks will be held next week at the U.S. State Department in Washington. The Israeli side will be represented by Ambassador Yehiel Leiter, and the Lebanese side by Ambassador Nader Hamadeh Muawad, with the U.S. side…