Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he has instructed his government to begin direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible,” signaling a potential diplomatic track even as fighting continues.

“In light of Lebanon’s repeated appeals to open direct negotiations with Israel, I instructed the cabinet yesterday to begin direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible,” Netanyahu said in a statement.

He added that the talks would focus on disarming Hezbollah and establishing peaceful relations between the two countries.

Netanyahu also said Israel “appreciates the call made today by Lebanon’s prime minister to demilitarize Beirut.”

Despite the announcement, Israeli officials made clear that military operations would continue.

“No ceasefire in Lebanon,” one official told Axios, adding that negotiations with the Lebanese government would begin in the coming days. Another official told The Times of Israel that there would be no truce with Hezbollah ahead of the talks.

According to multiple reports, the first round of negotiations is expected to take place next week at the U.S. State Department in Washington. The U.S. delegation will be led by Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, while Lebanon will be represented by its ambassador to Washington, Nada Mouawad. Israel’s delegation is expected to be headed by Tel Aviv's Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter.

Israeli media reported that former minister Ron Dermer, previously a key envoy for high-level negotiations, will not take part due to disagreements with senior officials. Dermer had recently returned to handle certain files for Netanyahu, including Lebanon, and had supported linking the fight against Hezbollah to the U.S.-Iran ceasefire; a position Netanyahu rejected.

Netanyahu’s move follows calls on Wednesday with U.S. President Donald Trump and White House envoy Steve Witkoff. Senior U.S. officials said Witkoff urged Netanyahu to scale back strikes in Lebanon and move toward negotiations. NBC News reported that Trump also asked Netanyahu in a phone call to reduce military operations to avoid undermining a fragile ceasefire reached with Iran.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Israel had agreed to “check itself” regarding Lebanon in order to support broader diplomatic efforts with Tehran.

Iran has argued that Lebanon should be included in the ceasefire agreement and accused the United States and Israel of violating it. Tehran has warned it could abandon talks or keep the Strait of Hormuz closed if Israeli strikes on Hezbollah persist. Both Washington and Israel deny that the ceasefire covers Israeli operations in Lebanon.

Israel sharply escalated its offensive against Hezbollah in the 24 hours following the truce announcement. Lebanese Civil Defense said at least 254 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Wednesday alone.

Lebanon, backed by France, has for weeks been calling for direct peace talks with Israel. A senior Lebanese official told Reuters that Beirut has also been pushing for a temporary ceasefire to facilitate broader negotiations, describing the proposed framework as a “separate track but the same model” as the Pakistan-mediated truce between the United States and Iran.

The official said no final date or venue had been agreed upon but stressed that Lebanon views the United States as a necessary mediator and guarantor of any future agreement.