BEIRUT, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's delegation to the ceasefire committee with Israel, meeting in southwestern Lebanon's town of Naqoura on Wednesday, was for the first time headed by a civilian envoy, even as Hezbollah mobilized protests against any direct negotiations with Israel.

According to Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA), former Lebanese Ambassador to the United States Simon Karam led the Lebanese delegation, accompanied by military officers. The Lebanese side focused on Israeli violations of the ceasefire and UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

The NNA, citing a statement it received from the Lebanese Presidency, said Karam's appointment was made after the United States conveyed Israel's approval to include a non-military member in its delegation.

Separately, Hezbollah issued a statement on Wednesday condemning the move toward direct talks as a betrayal of "national dignity" and the sacrifices of "resistors."

The group demanded that any negotiations be indirect and under conditions that safeguard Lebanon's rights.

The development came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed earlier on Wednesday an Israeli envoy to travel to Lebanon for a meeting with "governmental-economic officials" in "a first attempt to lay the groundwork for relations and economic cooperation between Israel and Lebanon."

No details were given on the timing and location of the meeting, nor the issues to be discussed.

It also came amid nearly daily Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon, despite a ceasefire that came into effect in November 2024, ending months of cross-border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

Israel and Lebanon, which remain technically at war, have no diplomatic ties and have long communicated only indirectly, usually through the UN or foreign mediators.

The two countries reached a U.S.-brokered agreement in 2022 demarcating their maritime border, opening the door to offshore energy exploration, but political and security tensions have persisted, particularly along the shared frontier. ■