Netanyahu’s announcement follows intense European pressure on Israel to halt its attacks on neighboring Lebanon. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the ITN station Thursday that the attacks “shouldn’t be happening,” while French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told French broadcaster France Inter that “We strongly condemn these massive strikes.” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares also heaped criticism on Israel.
Late Tuesday evening, U.S. President Donald Trump, under pressure from soaring international oil prices, had announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran to push Tehran to unblock the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil transport route.
Israel, however, continued to strike Beirut and other targets in Lebanon in some of its heaviest attacks since the Feb. 28 start of the Middle East conflict. According to Lebanon’s health ministry, at least 182 people died Wednesday from Israeli strikes, bringing the total to 1,739 people killed in the country since the beginning of the conflict.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is playing the role of mediator in the conflict, said Wednesday that the ceasefire also covered the conflict in Lebanon, but Netanyahu insisted Lebanon hadn’t been part of the agreement.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned earlier Thursday that the Israeli strikes were rendering negotiations “meaningless” and emphasized his country’s ties with “the Lebanese people.” Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Islamist militant group, holds seats in Lebanon’s parliament.
According to Israeli media, Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter, will lead the talks on behalf of Israel. However, no ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is yet in place.