The Pentagon hosted the first round of a new military dialogue between Lebanon and Israel on Friday, despite continued Israeli strikes on what it says are Hezbollah targets across Lebanon.

Axar.az repor, citing Al Arabiya, the Lebanese Armed Forces’ director of operations and the head of the Israeli military’s strategic division led their respective delegations.

Friday’s meeting was part of a US-brokered track of direct negotiations between the two neighboring countries. The Trump administration launched the talks earlier this year, with Lebanese and Israeli envoys to Washington holding meetings at the State Department and the White House.

During the most recent round, both sides elevated their political representation and agreed to establish a separate military channel led by the Pentagon.

Friday marked the first meeting under that framework. A fourth round of political talks is expected to take place in Washington in the coming days as negotiations continue on a parallel track.

Meanwhile, clashes between Israel and Hezbollah continued along the Lebanese-Israeli border, with Israel expanding the areas it occupies inside Lebanon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that Israeli forces had crossed Lebanon’s Litani River and were operating in Beirut and the Bekaa Valley as part of ongoing actions against Hezbollah.

As the delegations met, Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun held a phone call with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and voiced the importance of a ceasefire with Israel.

According to a statement from Aoun’s office, the president said a ceasefire is crucial to pave way toward “any other steps.”