JERUSALEM -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed his cabinet to open direct negotiations with Lebanon on a peace agreement, his office said Thursday.

The office said the proposed talks would focus on "establishing peaceful relations" between the two countries, which have no official ties and remain formally at war.

The negotiations would also address the disarmament of Hezbollah, the Iran-aligned group that Israel targeted in intensified strikes on Wednesday after cross-border fighting resumed in early March amid the broader Iran conflict.

The move comes "in light of repeated requests from Lebanon to open direct talks with Israel," Netanyahu's office said. It added that Israel "appreciates today's call by the Lebanese prime minister to demilitarize Beirut."

The announcement followed Israel's largest attacks on Lebanon since early March. Israel said it was targeting Hezbollah sites. More than 200 people were killed, according to preliminary reports.

Israel previously said a ceasefire reached between Iran and the United States does not cover the conflict in Lebanon, a position disputed by Iran and mediator Pakistan.