Israel and Lebanon hold first direct talks since 1993

A US statement said the two sides had agreed to launch direct negotiations, at a time and place to be determined. As war rages, Israel and Lebanon hold first direct talks since 1993 Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the talks were a 'historic' opportunity to end Hezbollah influence in the region. US delegation at the US-Israeli talks in Washington. Israel and Lebanon hold first direct talks since 1993 Lebanon and Israel have held their first diplomatic talks in over three decades, a rare encounter aimed at ending fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who mediated, said it was a "historic opportunity" to end Hezbollah's influence. A US statement said the two sides had agreed to launch direct negotiations, at a time and place to be determined. Israel said it wanted to disarm all non-state terror groups - a reference to Hezbollah. Lebanon called for a ceasefire and measures to address its humanitarian crisis. The two countries do not have diplomatic relations, and the last direct, high-level talks between them took place in 1993. Over 2,000 people have been killed since Israeli military operations in Lebanon began on 2 March, just days after US and Israeli strikes began in Iran. While the two sides were meeting in Washington on Tuesday, Hezbollah claimed at least 24 attacks on Israel and Israeli troops in Lebanon. Drone and rocket alarms sounded in communities across northern Israel for much of the day. Israel has said its operations in Lebanon are aimed at disarming and dismantling the group, which it also fought in 2023 and 2024 as the war in Gaza raged. A spokesman for the US state department, Tommy Pigott, said in a statement after the talks that both Israel and Lebanon had agreed to work towards reducing the influence of Hezbollah. The Lebanese side also called for a "ceasefire and concrete measures to address and alleviate the severe humanitarian crisis" in the country, he added. Meanwhile, the US "expressed its support for Israel's right to defend itself" from Hezbollah's attacks, he said. Speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting, Rubio said the meeting was "a process". "This will take time, but we believe it is worth this endeavour," he said. "It's a historic gathering that we hope to build on." In a statement, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said he hoped the talks would "mark the beginning of the end of the suffering of the Lebanese people in general, and those in the south in particular". He said the "only solution" to the conflict would be in the Lebanese armed forces "being solely responsible for the security of the area". The Lebanese government's capacity to confront Hezbollah, however, is limited. Ahead of the talks, a senior member of the organisation told the AP news agency it would not abide by any settlement agreed in Washington. "We are not bound by what they agreed to," said Wafiq Safa, a member of Hezbollah's political council. Hezbollah, a well-armed and sophisticated militia group that was founded in 1982, holds enormous sway in Lebanon's predominantly Shia south as well as in the southern suburbs of its capital, Beirut. Politicians affiliated with the group also hold two cabinet-level positions with the government. Their relationship with Lebanon's central government has become increasingly strained since the group moved to enter the war between Israel and Iran, its main benefactor. In separate talks held between the US and Iran in Pakistan, Iranian negotiators insisted that Lebanon be included in any ceasefire - although both the US and Israel said it would not. A US state department official told the BBC that the Israel-Lebanon talks were planned a month ago, before the talks with Iran in Islamabad were confirmed. In addition to the more than 2,000 people killed, about a million people have been displaced in the conflict since the most recent hostilities began. Nick Beake in a press vest split screen with Metula The Israeli town on the frontline with Hezbollah A dual image of a female Hezbollah supporter and an image of the site of an Israeli airstrike Lebanon seeks peace, but Hezbollah needs to be convinced first Liat Zvi is pictured from the shoulders up, in a domestic setting with a table in the background. She is a dark-haired woman with gold-rimmed glasses. Israelis war-weary but most oppose Iran ceasefire, poll suggests The United Nations' secretary general said it was "highly probable" that the negotiations would restart. Four vessels with links to Iran have crossed the Strait of Hormuz despite the start of a US naval blockade, but two of those vessels appear to have reversed course. BBC foreign correspondent Nick Beake visits Metula, an Israeli town surrounded on three sides by Lebanon. A subdued economy makes trade-offs and choices over public spending more difficult, Chris Mason writes. 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