Lebanon and Israel held their first direct diplomatic talks in decades on Tuesday in Washington, following more than a month of conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the meeting as a “historic opportunity,” while cautioning that no immediate breakthrough should be expected.

The two-hour session concluded with a statement from the U.S. State Department praising both sides for “productive discussions” and outlining initial steps toward launching formal negotiations.

“The United States affirmed that any agreement to cease hostilities must be reached between the two governments, brokered by the United States,” the department said, emphasizing that no parallel channels would be recognized.

Hezbollah, which was not represented in the talks, opposed the direct engagement and reportedly intensified attacks on northern Israel as discussions got underway.

Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, welcomed the dialogue, pointing to what he described as growing alignment on the need to reduce Hezbollah’s influence within Lebanon. He characterized the exchange as constructive and encouraging, signaling cautious optimism despite ongoing tensions.