Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said there is no ceasefire in Lebanon, even as he offered to open direct peace negotiations with Beirut.

In a short video address posted on X, Netanyahu told Israelis: “There is no ceasefire in Lebanon.” He said Israel was “continuing to strike Hezbollah with full force, and we will not stop until we restore your security.”

At the same time, Netanyahu said he had instructed his government to “open direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible”. The talks, he said, would focus on the disarmament of Hezbollah and the establishment of peaceful relations between Israel and Lebanon.

His remarks came shortly after US President Donald Trump said he had asked Netanyahu to be more “low-key” in Lebanon, as Washington seeks to negotiate with Iran to bring the wider regional war to an end.

The United States has confirmed it will host a meeting next week in Washington to discuss ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Lebanon. A US State Department official told the AFP news agency that the department would host the meeting, and Lebanon’s presidency said the talks would take place on Tuesday at the State Department.

According to a statement from President Joseph Aoun’s office, the meeting will “seek an announcement on a ceasefire and a date to begin direct negotiations”. A call has already taken place between the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors in the US, along with the US ambassador to Lebanon, to organise the conversation.

There is, however, a sharp gap between the two sides on what the talks can cover. Israel’s ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, said on Friday that Israel had agreed to start formal peace talks with Lebanese representatives, but would not discuss a ceasefire with Hezbollah.

“Israel refused to discuss a ceasefire with the Hezbollah terrorist organization, which continues to attack Israel and is the main obstacle to peace between the two countries,” Leiter said.

Lebanon, by contrast, is demanding a ceasefire before any direct negotiations can begin. Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar said Lebanon’s goal was the ceasefire, “whatever is required”, adding: “Even going to the far end of the world, we are ready to do it in order to get security, peace and stability for our country.”

The disagreement matters because the US-Iran ceasefire does not cover Lebanon. Netanyahu’s office has said the two-week truce between the United States and Iran, brokered with Pakistan acting as intermediary, “does not include Lebanon”, despite claims by Pakistan and Iran that it applied to all fronts.

Israeli forces have continued striking targets in Lebanon, saying they are hitting Hezbollah launch sites, while the US and Iran prepare for talks in Islamabad led on the American side by Vice President JD Vance. Whether the Washington meeting can produce even a limited halt to the fighting in Lebanon is now the next test for the diplomacy.