Netanyahu will speak with Lebanese president Aoun: Israel minister

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will speak with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday, according to Israel's Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology Gila Gamliel, a member of Netanyahu''s Likud party.

"The prime minister will speak for the first time with the president of Lebanon after so many years of a complete breakdown in dialogue between the two countries," Gamliel told Israeli Army Radio on Thursday.

"This move will hopefully ultimately lead to prosperity and flourishing for Lebanon as a state," she added.

US President Donald Trump had said the "leaders" of Israel and Lebanon would speak for the first time on Thursday, in what would be a historic first.

Gamliel's statement was the first confirmation from an official Israeli source that talks would take place.

"We are taking historic steps on every level -- shifting from mere containment, as in the past, to the outright eradication of any potential threat from those who seek to harm the citizens of the State of Israel," Gamliel said, referring to the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

A Lebanese official source told AFP that "we are not aware of any planned contact with the Israeli side, and we have not been informed of any through official channels".

Asked by AFP, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made no comment on possible upcoming talks.

Israel and Lebanon agreed during a meeting between their ambassadors in Washington on Tuesday to begin direct negotiations.

Netanyahu spoke on Wednesday of two central objectives in the talks: "First, the dismantling of Hezbollah; second, a sustainable peace... achieved through strength."

The Lebanese ambassador, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, said she had called for a ceasefire in Lebanon during the meeting, which Israel has so far rejected.

Hezbollah condemned the talks, calling them "capitulation".