Israel’s Ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, will hold a telephone conversation on Friday with Lebanon's Ambassador to the US, Nada Hamadeh-Moawad, in order to finalize the terms of the talks between the two countries that will officially begin next week.
According to a report in ynet, an American official is also expected to participate in the conversation, and according to one of the Arab reports, it may be the US Ambassador to Beirut.
The Qatari channel Al Araby quoted a Lebanese source as saying that the Lebanese Ambassador will request a ceasefire as a gesture of goodwill in order to start the negotiations.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Thursday that he has instructed the cabinet to open direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible.
According to the Prime Minister, the decision follows repeated requests from Lebanon for direct talks.
Netanyahu noted that the negotiations would focus on disarming Hezbollah and on establishing peace relations between the two countries. He further stated that Israel appreciates the Lebanese Prime Minister's call to demilitarize Beirut.
Netanyahu later released a statement reassuring the residents of northern Israel following his announcement that Israel would negotiate directly with the Lebanese government.
Netanyahu opened his statement by telling the residents of the north that he is proud of them for continuing to stand strong.
He then clarified, "There is no ceasefire in Lebanon. We are continuing to strike Hezbollah with full force, and we will not stop until we restore your security."
On Friday, CNN reported that US President Donald Trump urged Netanyahu during a recent conversation to reduce the scope of Israeli strikes in Lebanon and move toward negotiations.
The report, citing a US official and an additional source, said that the discussion took place on April 8. Trump is said to have called on Netanyahu to scale back military activity in Lebanese territory and to pursue talks with Lebanon’s official authorities regarding the disarmament of the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization.
It remains unclear whether Netanyahu accepted the request or simply acknowledged it.
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)