US secretary of state Rex Tillerson was kept waiting at Lebanon's presidential palace for several minutes before his Lebanese counterpart greeted him ahead of talks with President Michel Aoun on Thursday.
Television footage showed Mr Tillerson sitting in a room alongside an empty seat before Gebran Bassil, the Lebanese foreign minister walked in and shook his hand, in what appeared to be a departure from diplomatic norms.
Mr Tillerson was in Lebanon as part of a regional tour. He said Hezbollah's "growing arsenal" and "entanglement in regional conflicts" presented a danger to Lebanon.
Mr Bassil had not greeted Mr Tillerson at the entrance of the palace when his convoy arrived, a Reuters witness said.