Israel and Lebanon held preliminary talks on potentially completing an Israeli troop withdrawal from the Arab country and could eventually discuss properly delineating their long-disputed land border.

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to start negotiations on disputes over the land border between them, offering a possible opportunity to resolve disagreements that have contributed to decades of tensions and conflict.

Israel said on Tuesday it had agreed to hold talks to demarcate its border with Lebanon, adding it would release five Lebanese held by the Israeli military in what it called a "gesture to the Lebanese president".