The Israeli military warned Tuesday it expected a rise in attacks by Hezbollah targeting Israel's north, as Washington hosted Israeli and Lebanese officials for their first direct talks in decades.

Foreign ministers from 17 countries, including the UK, Tuesday urged Israel and Lebanon to "seize this opportunity" in a statement ahead of U.S.-mediated talks between the two sides in Washington.

Lebanon responded positively to the US administration's request for a talks' preparatory meeting between the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors after receiving a pledge from the U.S. to pressure Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire, a Lebanese ministerial source said.

Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S. Nada Hamadeh Moawad will prioritize a single demand as Lebanon and Israel convene for their first direct diplomatic talks in decades this Tuesday in Washington: an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire.

Hezbollah and ally Amal have refused negotiations under fire and Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem has called on Lebanon to cancel the talks, describing them as "futile," while Israel framed the negotiations around Hezbollah’s disarmament and a potential peace deal, without publicly committing to halting hostilities or withdrawing its forces from south Lebanon. It said it will not discuss a ceasefire with Hezbollah in Washington on Tuesday.

Israel's ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, has been instructed to reject any ceasefire request while negotiations with Lebanon continue, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported Tuesday, citing sources

Iran has become more open and positive towards the Saudi role in Lebanon, viewing it as a stabilizing factor, diplomatic sources told Al-Jadeed TV.

Tuesday's talks between Lebanon and Israel will be "open and direct, not merely technical or formal, and will address the security of Israel's northern border," U.S. State Department sources told MTV.

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.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will take part in the talks in Washington with Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S. Nada Hamadeh Moawad.

French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noël Barrot reaffirmed Tuesday that Lebanon must be included in the initial ceasefire agreement.

"The ceasefire must absolutely include Lebanon, which under no circumstances can be the scapegoat of the Israeli government," Barrot said on French radio RFI.

Israel's military said Monday that a massive wave of strikes in Lebanon last week killed five Hezbollah commanders, as well as more than 250 of the group's fighters.

The Lebanese health ministry has said Wednesday's attacks killed more than 350 people in total and wounded more than 1,200.