The Trump Administration will seek to have Lebanon repeal a law outlawing contact with Israelis as part of the peace negotiations between the two nations, the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported.
The repeal of the 1955 Israel Boycott Law is seen as a critical aspect of normalizing relations between Israel and Lebanon, which have been formally at war since Lebanon attacked Israel upon the State's founding in May 1948.
US President Donald Trump announced the start of a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon last Thursday, following direct negotiations between Israeli and Lebanese officials at the US State Department, the first such talks in over four decades.
Under the ceasefire arrangement in Lebanon, IDF forces will remain on the "anti-tank line," which is the furthest point from which an anti-tank missile could be launched at Israeli communities, and will not withdraw from the dominant positions they have taken in southern Lebanon.
It was also stated that in the event a threat from Hezbollah or other militants is identified, the IDF will be authorized to act to eliminate it.
Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter expressed optimism and praised Lebanese leaders following the State Department negotiations last Monday.
"We have the courage to pursue peace through strength, and to work tirelessly for tranquility and prosperity for all," Leiter said. "At the negotiations table, I commended President Joseph Aoun and his government for not allowing itself to be held hostage to the threats of Hezbollah’s leader."
"Naim Qassem and Hezbollah belong to the past; we are here for the future," Leiter added. "Above all, safeguarding the security of Israeli citizens along the northern border remains our supreme objective and top priority."