Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will send a representative to meet with government and economic officials in Lebanon, his office said on Wednesday.
"Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed the Acting Director of the National Security Council to send a representative on his behalf to a meeting with government and economic officials in Lebanon", the premier's office said in a statement.
"This is an initial attempt to establish a basis for a relationship and economic cooperation between Israel and Lebanon," the statement said.
Beirut does not officially recognise its southern neighbour and relations between the two countries are extremely sensitive.
Ceasefire anniversary marked by more strikes
The announcement came only a few days after the first anniversary of the start of a fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which sought to end over a year of hostilities between the two sides.
But Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon despite the truce, claiming it is targeting Hezbollah members and infrastructure to stop the group from rebuilding its military capabilities.
It has ramped up its strikes in recent weeks.
On the anniversary of the ceasefire, the Israeli military claimed it had carried out around 1,200 "targeted activities" and "eliminated more than 370 terrorists" during the ceasefire.
US pressures Beirut to disarm Hezbollah
The United States has been pressuring Lebanon's government to rapidly disarm Hezbollah and has pushed for direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel.
On Tuesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar met with Morgan Ortagus, the US Special Representative for Lebanon.
"We had a good discussion on the situation in Lebanon. I said that the one violating Lebanese sovereignty is Hezbollah. Hezbollah's disarmament is crucial for Lebanon's future and Israel's security. The US is our greatest ally, and we'll continue our close cooperation!" Saar wrote on X.
According to Israeli media, Ortagus also met with Prime Minister Netanyahu during her Israel visit.
Lebanon names civilian envoy for ceasefire body
On Wednesday, Lebanon announced that it would appoint a civilian to lead its delegation to the body overseeing the ceasefire with Israel, following a request from the United States.
Until now Lebanon had insisted on keeping a military officer in the role and its military representatives have avoided any direct contact with Israel's delegation.
The appointment of a civilian comes after Lebanon declared itself ready for negotiations with Israel.
