A diplomatic phone call on Friday between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun underscored Washington's ongoing commitment to Beirut amid shifting regional dynamics, according to official statements from the Lebanese Presidency.
The executive office in Beirut noted that the conversation centered on reviewing the volatile status of Lebanon and the surrounding Middle East.
During the communication, Rubio emphasized that the U.S. “stands with Lebanon" while pledging that Washington would actively pursue “security and stability" across the nation. He further committed to backing legitimate political, military, and defense bodies, “foremost among them the army," to guarantee “the extension of state authority over all its territory."
Expressing gratitude for the American alliance, Aoun insisted that a “comprehensive ceasefire" remains vital to stopping ongoing Israeli military strikes on Lebanese land. The Israeli strikes have been in response to Hezbollah's repeated violations of the ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump in April.
The Lebanese president explicitly described a full cessation of hostilities as “what Lebanon considers a cornerstone" to foster forward momentum during the high-stakes trilateral negotiations involving Lebanon, the US, and Israel slated for next week in the American capital.
According to the presidency’s statement, Aoun maintained that these upcoming discussions are geared toward safeguarding Lebanon's “constant objectives" of reclaiming its “security, stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Offering Washington's perspective, a State Department spokesperson released a subsequent statement detailing the exchange.
"Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke today with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. The Secretary commended President Aoun’s courage in pursuing a historic opportunity for Lebanese sovereignty and recovery. 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 neighbors," the spokesperson said.
“Secretary Rubio underscored that Lebanon’s bilateral negotiations with Israel represent the only feasible path to reconstruction, economic recovery, and ending recurrent cycles of violence. They discussed the next round of negotiations, scheduled for June 23-25 in Washington, where the two sovereign governments will make progress toward a lasting peace."
Finally, the statement said, “Secretary Rubio reiterated the need to disarm Hezbollah and to re-establish control over all Lebanese territory. They also discussed the need to coordinate with regional allies to advance these aims."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier on Friday that he instructed the IDF to strike Hezbollah “with force" following the deaths of four soldiers from Hezbollah fire.
However, a senior US official later told Reuters that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to a ceasefire which took effect at 4:00 p.m. local time.
Trump later told NBC News that he spoke with Israel and asked the Jewish state to agree to a ceasefire in Lebanon.
“It’s a positive," he told the network, adding, “It’s a little icing on the cake." He declined to specify whether he had talked to Netanyahu directly.
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)