Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he had authorised the earliest possible direct negotiations with Lebanon, aimed at disarming the Iran-backed Hezbollah militants and establishing relations between the neighbouring countries, a move that could give fresh impetus to efforts to secure a ceasefire in the Middle East.

Since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Israel and Lebanon have, strictly speaking, been at war; Netanyahu later emphasized that there was no ceasefire between the two countries.

According to a US official and a person familiar with the negotiation plans, talks between Israel and Lebanon are expected to begin next week at the State Department in Washington.

It is expected that the U.S. side will be represented by Michel Issa, the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon, whilst the Israeli side will be represented by Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli Ambassador to the U.S.