Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh and Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter are due to meet in Washington, DC, at 11am local time (8pm PKT) to begin rare direct talks, Al Jazeera reports according to a schedule published by the US State Department.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will join the “working-level” talks with the two ambassadors, the State Department said.

The discussion is expected to focus on securing a ceasefire in Lebanon, where Israel has unleashed devastating air attacks and a ground invasion, as well as the disarmament of Hezbollah and a broader peace arrangement.

Hezbollah has rejected the planned negotiations, calling them “futile” and urging the Lebanese government to focus on confronting Israeli “aggression”.