Israel and Lebanon will send new representatives to a military committee monitoring a truce between the countries, top officials from both said on Wednesday, in a move set to expand the scope of talks between the long-time foes.

If both Lebanese and Israeli civilian officials attend, it would be a step towards a months-long U.S. demand that the two countries broaden talks beyond monitoring the 2024 ceasefire. Beirut remains officially in a state of war with Israel, and Lebanon criminalises contacts with Israeli nationals. Meetings between civilian officials from the two sides have been extraordinarily rare throughout their fraught history.

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun has said in recent months, however, that he is open to negotiations to pursue a more robust truce and will dispatch a

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