The Trump administration has been tying to foster dialogue between Israel and Lebanon for nine months, U.S. news portal Axios has reported, hours after Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives held their first talks in decades under the auspices of a year-old ceasefire monitoring mechanism.

A U.S. official told Axios the U.S. hoped Wednesday’s meeting would help de-escalate tensions between the two sides and help to avoid a resumption of the war in Lebanon.

The Lebanese Army on Thursday refuted Iranian allegations about the affiliation and loyalty of some of its soldiers.

“The Army Command categorically denies these reports and affirms that all its members adhere to a clear and unwavering military doctrine and are completely loyal to the military institution and the country,” it said in a statement.

With “heartfelt respect,” U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa on Thursday extended his appreciation to “the Government and people of Lebanon for the gracious welcome offered to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV during his recent visit.”

The U.S. Embassy in Beirut said the inclusion of Lebanese and Israeli civilian officials in the U.S.-led ceasefire monitoring committee, known as the Mechanism, can lead to “durable peace.”

“Senior officials convened for the 14th iteration of the Pentalateral on December 3 in Naqoura to assess ongoing efforts to reach an enduring cessation of hostilities arrangement in Lebanon,” the Embassy said.

Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives met for the first time in decades on Wednesday under the auspices of a year-old ceasefire monitoring mechanism.

The two sides met at the U.N. peacekeeping force's headquarters in Lebanon's Naqoura near the border with Israel, where the guarantors of the November 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah regularly convene.

A United Nations Security Council delegation will visit Lebanon on Friday and Saturday after visiting Syria in the first-ever visit to the country.

Slovenian U.N. ambassador Samuel Zbogar told a press conference on Monday that "the visit to Lebanon is the first official visit of the Security Council to the Middle East in six years".

In an interview with Sky News Arabia, Pope Leo XIV said he had read a letter from Hezbollah but that he prefers not to comment on it, adding that the Church proposes that Hezbollah disarm and seek dialogue instead.

The pope said that peaceful solutions would be more productive and better for the Lebanese people, and vowed to keep on working to convince parties in Lebanon to disarm and choose dialogue instead of violence.

Israeli media have reported that Israel is preparing for a "significant escalation" with Hezbollah, deemed "inevitable" despite Washington's efforts.

Reports claimed that Israel showed U.S Envoy Morgan Ortagus Tuesday "intelligence that proves Hezbollah is rebuilding and rearming" in south Lebanon and that the Lebanese Armed Forces are either unable or unwilling to stop that.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced Wednesday that Lebanon is “ready for supra-military negotiations with Israel,” after Lebanon and Israel for the first time sent civilian figures to a meeting of the ‘Mechanism’ ceasefire committee.

“The move to include a former Lebanese diplomat on the committee is politically sound and enjoys national support,” Salam said in remarks to Al-Jazeera television.

Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives held their first direct talks Wednesday in decades, part of a year-old ceasefire monitoring mechanism in the war with Hezbollah, a source close to the talks told AFP.

The meeting was taking place at the U.N. peacekeeping force's headquarters in Lebanon Naqoura near the border with Israel, the source said, as part of a mechanism to oversee the ceasefire that took hold in November 2024.