Washington DC, April 14 -- Lebanon and Israel held their first direct talks in decades on Tuesday, with Lebanon's Ambassador to the United States, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, saying that details regarding the next round of negotiations would be announced "in due course," following what she described as a "constructive" preliminary meeting.

In a statement issued after the historic engagement, Moawad underscored the need for de-escalation and urgent humanitarian relief amid the ongoing conflict.

"I called for a ceasefire and the return of displaced persons to their homes," CNN quoted her as saying.

"I also called for the adoption of practical measures to alleviate the severe humanitarian crisis that Lebanon continues to endure as a result of th...