Sri Lanka, April 15 -- Israel and Lebanon have agreed to meet again, officials said, after a first round of talks were held Tuesday in Washington, DC.

Lebanon and Israel 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 ...