Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said contacts are ongoing with Israel to extend the ceasefire between the countries.
Aoun said an upcoming meeting between Israeli and Lebanese delegation on Thursday seeks to "fully" stop Israeli attacks in the country, as well as the withdrawal of its troops and release of prisoners.
He went on to say that the goal is to also deploy Lebanese troops along its southern border and beginning the reconstruction process, noting that support promised by President Donald Trump and other countries "provided us with an opportunity that we must not miss, as it may not come again."
The ceasefire went into effect last Friday, and a Lebanese official told AFP that the country will request a one-month extension.
"Lebanon will request an extension of the truce for one month, an end of Israel's bombing and destruction in the areas where it is present, and a commitment to the ceasefire," the official said.
In the meantime, Lebanese group Hezbollah, which has firmly opposed the talks, took responsibility for a drone attack on Israeli troops in southern Lebanon. The IDF said the drone was intercepted.
Talks between the countries are the first in more than 30 years. In the first encounter, both parties agreed on the need to "liberate" the latter country from Hezbollah, according to Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter.
He added that negotiators "discovered today that we're on the same side of the equation, and that's the most positive thing we could have come away with."
"The Lebanese government made it very clear that they will no longer be occupied by Hezbollah," Leiter added.
Hezbollah not only called on Lebanese officials to not attend the meeting, but a top official also said the group won't observe any agreement reached between the countries.
Concretely, Al Arabiya noted that the remarks were made by Wafik Saha. They follow those of the group's top leader, Naim Qassem, who said the entity "absolutely rejects" the talks.
Originally published on IBTimes
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