TEL AVIV, April 14. /TASS/. A historic meeting between Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors Yechiel Laiter and Nada Hammadeh Moawad has commenced in Washington, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in attendance, according to the Israeli broadcaster Kan.

Kan described the meeting as the "beginning of a discussion during which principles for future negotiations will be established." It noted that the last high-level direct talks between Israel and Lebanon occurred in 1983.

Coinciding with the start of these talks, the Israel Defense Forces issued a warning about a potential escalation in shelling from militants affiliated with the Shiite organization Hezbollah.

"Based on recent developments and our assessment of the situation, there may be an increase in shelling from Lebanon into northern Israel," the army’s press service stated.