The Lebanese presidency has announced that a phone call took place between Lebanon’s ambassador to Washington, Nada Hamadeh Maacoud, and her Israeli counterpart, Yechiel Leiter, the first direct contact between the two sides, Al Jazeera reports.

Both sides have agreed to meet next Tuesday at the US State Department to discuss a ceasefire and a timeline for formal negotiations under American sponsorship. The US ambassador to Beirut, Michel Issa, has also participated.