Israeli and Lebanese representatives met on Tuesday in Washington for the first time since 1983 for direct political-level talks.

U.S. secretary of state Marco Rubio was seen in photos ahead of the meeting alongside the Lebanese ambassador to the United States, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, and the Israeli representative in Washington, Yechiel Leiter.

Lebanese government sources said the meeting is expected to last about an hour.

Israel and Lebanon are officially at war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking a lasting peace agreement with Lebanon and the disarmament of the Lebanese Hezbollah militia, which is allied with Iran.

However, the Shiite militia rejected this and previously called on the government in Beirut to cancel the talks.

At the start of the meeting, it reportedly fired rocket salvos towards Israel.

The Israeli military warned that Hezbollah’s shelling could spread to northern Israel.

The Lebanese government is aiming for a ceasefire and demanding the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon.

The government in Beirut committed in 2024 to disarming Hezbollah, but has failed to achieve this, outmatched by the powerful militia.

Hezbollah has been launching attacks on Israel since early in the current war in support of its ally, Iran.

(dpa/NAN)