Merz urges Netanyahu in phone call to end fighting in south Lebanon

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shortly before a historic meeting between Israeli and Lebanese representatives, government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said.

"The chancellor encouraged prime minister Netanyahu to begin direct peace talks with the Lebanese government. He spoke in favour of ending the hostilities in southern Lebanon," Kornelius said. Hezbollah must lay down its arms, he added.

Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul meanwhile spoke by phone with his Lebanese counterpart, Youssef Rajji.

Direct talks between Israel and Lebanon "can be an important first step toward a future in which both are respected: Israel's legitimate security interests & Lebanon's right to territorial integrity & sovereignty," the German Foreign Office said in a post on X.

Hezbollah's attacks on Israel must stop, it added.

"We support Lebanon's exercise of the monopoly on the use of force across its entire territory and the disarmament of Hezbollah. At the same time, the Israeli army must protect civilians and civilian infrastructure," the post said.

For the first time in decades, Lebanese and Israeli officials are set to hold direct political talks in Washington.

Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon are now in their second open war in about two years. The Israeli military has ground troops in the south of the neighbouring country.

Israel is seeking a lasting peace agreement with Lebanon and the disarmament of the Hezbollah movement.

The Lebanese government, meanwhile, is aiming to secure a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict that started on March 2 and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah, which wields enormous influence over Lebanese politics and society, is not participating in the talks and has so far rejected Israel's demands.