Rubio presses Lebanon on Israel talks, calls diplomacy "only feasible path" to peace

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel represent ‘the only feasible path’ to reconstruction and stability, according to a State Department readout of his call with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

In the June 19 conversation, Rubio “commended President Aoun’s courage in pursuing a historic opportunity for Lebanese sovereignty and recovery,” the Spokesperson’s Office said.

“The Secretary reaffirmed the United States’ full support for the Government of Lebanon’s efforts to create a fully sovereign Lebanese state that is at peace with all its neighbours,” the readout added.

Washington also stressed that upcoming talks between Beirut and Jerusalem would be central to progress. “Lebanon’s bilateral negotiations with Israel represent the only feasible path to reconstruction, economic recovery, and ending recurrent cycles of violence,” the statement said.

The two leaders discussed the next round of negotiations, scheduled for June 23–25 in Washington, where both governments are expected to “make progress toward a lasting peace,” according to the readout.

Rubio also “reiterated the need to disarm Hezbollah and to re-establish control over all Lebanese territory,” underscoring longstanding US demands linked to stability in the region.

By Aghakazim Guliyev