Israel, Lebanon send civilian envoys to truce committee for expanded talks

The meeting was a step towards a months-old U.S. demand that the two countries broaden talks beyond monitoring the 2024 ceasefire, in line with U.S. President Donald Trump's agenda of peace agreements across the Middle East.

It came even as fears of a renewed flare-up between Israel and powerful Lebanese armed group Hezbollah persist.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told journalists he hoped civilian participation in the meetings would help "defuse tensions," saying further Israeli strikes in recent weeks had been a clear escalatory signal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the atmosphere at the meeting was good and that the sides agreed to put forth ideas for economic cooperation.

LEBANON OPEN TO US, FRENCH TROOPS

Lebanon and Israel have been officially enemy states for over 70 years, and Beirut criminalises contacts with Israeli nationals. Meetings between civilian officials of each side have been extraordinarily rare throughout their fraught history.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has said in recent months, however, that he is open to negotiations to pursue a more robust truce and dispatched Lebanon's former ambassador to Washington, Simon Karam, to head his country's delegation to the truce committee's meeting.

Netanyahu's office said that it had sent the deputy head of foreign policy division at Israel's National Security Council to the meeting, as part of what it said was the ongoing dialogue between Israel, Lebanon and the United States.

The committee, chaired by the United States, met on Wednesday for approximately three hours on the Blue Line, which serves as the frontier between Lebanon and Israel.

A statement issued after the session concluded said attendees welcomed the added envoys as an "important step" toward ensuring the committee is "anchored in lasting civilian as well as military dialogue".

It said it looked forward to working with the representatives to nurture peace along the long-volatile border.

Israel and Lebanon agreed to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in 2024 that ended more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Since then, they have traded accusations over violations.

Salam said on Wednesday Lebanon was open to the committee taking on a direct verification role to check Israeli claims that Hezbollah is re-arming, and verify the work of the Lebanese army in dismantling the armed group's infrastructure.

Asked by reporters if that meant Beirut was willing to have French and U.S. troops on the ground, Salam said, "Of course."

ISRAEL DEMANDS HEZBOLLAH DISARM

Netanyahu's office said that regardless of any economic cooperation, Hezbollah must be disarmed.

Hezbollah's media office did not immediately respond to questions from Reuters on the talks' expansion.

The Iranian-backed,Shi'ite Muslim group has repeatedly rejected any negotiations with Israel as a "trap".

Despite the ceasefire, Israel has continued air strikes on what it says are Hezbollah's efforts to rebuild its military capabilities in breach of the truce. Lebanon says Israel's bombardment and occupation of hilltop positions in south Lebanon amount to ceasefire breaches.

Fears have been growing in Lebanon that Israel will return to a full-blown military campaign after expressing frustration with the pace of Lebanese authorities' efforts to seize Hezbollah weaponry across the country.