Hezbollah fired rockets at 13 northern Israeli towns on Tuesday as Israeli and Lebanese envoys held the first direct talks between the two countries in more than three decades.

The attacks targeted communities, including Kiryat Shmona and Metula, at around 6:15 p.m. local time, shortly after the US-brokered discussions began at the State Department in Washington, D.C. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh and her Israeli counterpart Yechiel Leiter, along with US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa and State Department Counselor Michael Needham.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem had rejected the talks a day earlier, calling them "futile" and urging Lebanon's government to cancel the meeting. "We reject negotiations with the usurping Israeli entity," Qassem said in a televised address. "We call for a historic and heroic stance by canceling this negotiating meeting." He vowed that the group would "not surrender" and would "remain in the field until our last breath," while threatening to "capture enemy soldiers" when the opportunity arises.

Senior Hezbollah political official Wafiq Safa echoed the stance, telling the Associated Press that the group "is not bound by what they agree to" and has no interest in the talks' outcomes. Hezbollah described the negotiations as a "free concession" to Israel and the US, aimed at pressuring the group to disarm.

The talks, which started at 11 a.m. Eastern Time, focused on securing a ceasefire, disarming Hezbollah, and establishing security arrangements in southern Lebanon. Israel proposed dividing the area south of the Litani River into three zones, with a long-term Israeli presence near the border until Hezbollah is dismantled, gradually handing control to the Lebanese army further north. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel seeks "the dismantling of Hezbollah’s weapons, and we want a real peace agreement that will last for generations."

Lebanon prioritized an immediate pause in fighting to reassert state authority, with Culture Minister Ghassan Salame noting that disarming Hezbollah would take time. A US official emphasized that "Israel is at war with Hezbollah, not Lebanon."

The conflict escalated in March 2026 after Israel killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, prompting Hezbollah to intensify attacks. It stems from exchanges that began in October 2023 in solidarity with Gaza militants. Israeli operations have killed at least 2,089 people in Lebanon, displacing over 1.2 million, according to Lebanese figures. Hezbollah has continued near-daily rocket and drone fire into Israel.

No immediate outcomes emerged from Tuesday's session, described as preliminary, with experts noting slim prospects for a quick breakthrough amid ongoing ground battles, including around the Hezbollah stronghold of Bint Jbeil.