US President Donald Trump has said that Israel-Lebanon talks will take place today. Israel and Lebanon on Tuesday held a meeting in Washington, where Israel insisted on Hezbollah’s disarmament, and Lebanon called for a ceasefire and concrete measures to ease the severe humanitarian crisis resulting from the US-Israeli war with Iran, according to a statement from the US State Department. All sides agreed to launch direct negotiations at a mutually agreed time and venue, said the statement.

The statement said that the meeting marked the first major high-level engagement between Israel and Lebanon since 1993. Earlier in the day, the US clarified that a possible ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon is not part of its negotiations with Iran, even as Washington steps up diplomatic efforts to ease tensions along Israel’s northern border. A senior administration official said the US had not asked for a truce in Lebanon and that it was not part of the peace negotiations with Iran.

However, the official added that President Donald Trump would welcome the end of hostilities in Lebanon as part of a peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon. The renewed diplomatic push also comes as the US continues efforts to stabilise its fragile truce with Iran, with regional flashpoints like Lebanon seen as potential spoilers if not carefully managed.