Tel Aviv, 16 April 2026 (dpa/MIA) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the military to expand a security zone in southern Lebanon as fighting with the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia continues, his office said late on Wednesday.

Israel is also holding negotiations with Lebanon, while the Security Cabinet discussed a possible ceasefire on Wednesday but ended the meeting without a decision, according to media reports and a post by an Axios journalist on X.

Israeli and Lebanese representatives held direct political talks in Washington on Tuesday for the first time in decades.

Netanyahu said the talks aim to secure the disarmament of Hezbollah and achieve a lasting peace.

The Lebanese government, which is not a party to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, is seeking a ceasefire and a withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon.

Clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah continued on Wednesday.

Netanyahu said the security zone would also be expanded eastward towards the slopes of Mount Hermon to better support Druze communities, which are seen as aligned with Israel. The mountain range stretches along the Syrian-Lebanese border and reaches into the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.

Photo: EPA