(MENAFN) Israel and Lebanon conducted their first direct talks in decades as part of a US-mediated ceasefire that ended hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.

Civilian officials from both countries met on Wednesday at the UN peacekeeping headquarters in Naqoura, Lebanon. This marked the first meeting under the post-November 2024 truce mechanism to include civilian representatives rather than only military personnel. A spokeswoman for the Israeli Prime Minister described the session as “historic,” calling it a preliminary step toward potential future cooperation. The US special envoy for Lebanon also participated in the talks.

Earlier, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam emphasized that any future economic collaboration with Israel would require a formal peace agreement. “We are still far from that,” he said.

The discussions follow US efforts to encourage direct communication between the neighboring states amid rising border tensions. Israel has accused Iran-backed Hezbollah of violating the ceasefire and attempting to rebuild its military capabilities.

The ceasefire concluded over a year of cross-border fighting, triggered by Hezbollah attacks on Israeli territory in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The conflict escalated into a broader Israeli offensive, resulting in the deaths of senior Hezbollah figures, destruction of weapons stockpiles, and substantial civilian casualties.

According to the truce, the Lebanese army is tasked with dismantling Hezbollah’s military infrastructure. However, Israel has criticized progress as insufficient and has stepped up military strikes. Lebanon has warned that such actions could trigger a “new war.”

Salam noted that the initial phase of consolidating weapons under state control depends on an Israeli withdrawal from occupied areas, and that Beirut is open to US and French oversight of remaining Hezbollah caches in the south.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly encouraged Lebanon to join the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab and Muslim countries, but Lebanon has not accepted this proposal.

The last direct talks between Israel and Lebanon took place in 1983 after Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, resulting in an unratified agreement that would have established formal relations.

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