Many residents in Lebanon and Israel on Tuesday expressed pessimism that the upcoming Lebanon-Israel meeting in Washington would not be fruitful.

By Alexander Cornwell and Laila Bassam JERUSALEM/BEIRUT, April 14 (Reuters) - Israeli and Lebanese envoys will meet ⁠in ⁠Washington on Tuesday as Israel presses its war ⁠on Hezbollah, a diplomatic milestone overshadowed by conflicting agendas with Israel ruling out a ceasefire and demanding Beirut ​disarm the Iran-backed group.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that the negotiations ‘will be a process,’ as delegations from Israel and Lebanon sat down for U.S.-brokered talks in Washington.

Lebanon and Israel are set to hold the first direct diplomatic talks in decades on Tuesday in Washington following more than a month of war between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group that has rocked the tiny Mediterranean country.

Israeli and Lebanese officials to meet to discuss Israel's campaign against the Iran-backed group Hezbollah. We report from southern Lebanon. Also in the programme: a BBC investigation into Greek police recruiting mercenaries to push migrants back into Turkey;

Israeli and Lebanese officials are set to meet on Tuesday in Washington, D.C., as part of an effort to end the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to join the talks.

While the talks between Israel and Lebanon in Washington did not yield a cease-fire agreement, both sides agreed to “launch direct negotiations” after having “productive discussions,” according to a statement from the U.

Lebanon and Israel have held their first direct diplomatic talks in over three decades, a rare encounter aimed at ending fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group. No immediate outcome was expected from the discussion,