Ruptly
"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has ordered his cabinet to hold direct talks with the Lebanese government ‘as soon as possible’ a day after Israeli strikes on its neighbour killed hundreds of people. "In light of Lebanon's repeated requests to open direct negotiations with Israel, I instructed at the Government meeting yesterday to open direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible,” Netanyahu said in a statement on Thursday. He said the talks would focus on the disarmament of Hezbollah and a ‘sustainable, historic’ peace agreement between the countries. However, he doubled down on striking Hezbollah and said its forces would not stop until they are able to restore security in the country’s north. “I want to tell you, there is no ceasefire in Lebanon." Earlier, Netanyahu had said that the temporary ceasefire between the US and Iran did not include Lebanon, as its forces claimed to have carried out 100 strikes against the group in ten minutes on Wednesday. According to the Lebanese health ministry, the death toll from the strikes has crossed 300, in what officials described as the deadliest attack on the country since the end of the civil war in 1990. Lebanon is holding a day of mourning after the strikes. Iran's foreign minister accused Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement. This comes as high-level delegations from the US and Iran are scheduled to meet in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on April 10 for peace talks."
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