Lebanon and Israel have agreed to hold an initial meeting at the US State Department in Washington on Tuesday to discuss a ceasefire and set a date for the start of US-mediated negotiations, the Lebanese presidency has said.

The agreement was reached on Friday after a phone call between Lebanon's ambassador to the United States, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, and Israel's ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter. The US ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, who is currently in Washington, also took part in the discussion.

The Lebanese presidency said the United States had tasked its State Department with mediating between the two sides, following a series of international and regional contacts conducted by President Joseph Aoun. The meeting is expected to focus on formalising a ceasefire announcement and agreeing on a timeline for negotiations between the two countries.

Talks under fire

The diplomatic opening comes while Israeli strikes on Lebanon continue. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he had instructed his government to open direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible, while insisting that there is no ceasefire in Lebanon and that Israel will keep striking Hezbollah with force.

President Aoun had called for direct talks with Israel as Israeli attacks on Lebanon escalated. Beirut has said a ceasefire is a precondition for meaningful negotiations, while Israel has said the talks should focus on the disarmament of Hezbollah and the establishment of peaceful relations between the two countries.

A US State Department official confirmed to CBS News that representatives from both sides will meet at the department next week. According to sources cited by CBS, the talks will be led by Ambassador Issa, alongside Ambassadors Moawad and Leiter.

Hezbollah rejects concessions

Hezbollah, which has not been a party to the talks, has rejected any concessions. Its chief, Naim Qassem, said on Friday that Israeli forces had failed to achieve their military objectives and vowed to continue resistance, urging Lebanese officials to avoid concessions.

The two countries have been in a formal state of war since 1948. A US-brokered framework signed in June set out verified disarmament of armed groups and a phased Israeli withdrawal, but implementation has stalled and Hezbollah has not accepted disarmament. The UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL, is due to see its mandate expire on 31 December 2026.

Israel carried out its largest single-day attack on Lebanon on Wednesday, according to China Daily, with the Lebanese Health Ministry reporting at least 303 people killed and 1,105 injured. The coming meeting in Washington will be the first direct diplomatic contact between the two sides at this level in decades, and its immediate test will be whether a ceasefire can be agreed before negotiations begin in earnest.