U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun spoke Friday about the plan to disarm Hezbollah and the ceasefire with Israel, according to a report by i24NEWS. The call follows a series of diplomatic contacts between the U.S. and Lebanese leadership ahead of scheduled Israel-Lebanon talks next week.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Friday evening, with the conversation centered on the plan for disarming Hezbollah and maintaining the ceasefire with Israel, according to a report by i24NEWS.
The call is the latest in a series of high-level U.S.-Lebanese diplomatic contacts. As The Zioneer reported earlier Friday, Rubio was expected to speak with Aoun ahead of the upcoming round of Israel-Lebanon talks scheduled for next week. The discussion comes amid ongoing American efforts to broker a ceasefire framework that includes Hezbollah's disarmament — a condition that the group's leadership has publicly opposed. Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem stated on June 4 that disarming the organization would "destroy Lebanon," underscoring the deep political obstacles to the U.S. plan.
It remains unclear whether Aoun conveyed any new Lebanese position or response during the call. The Israeli government has not commented on the reported conversation.
3 developments
- DevelopingUS State Department says Rubio, Aoun discussed trilateral framework implementation, Hezbollah disarmament
- DevelopingRubio spoke to Netanyahu and Lebanon's Aoun overnight to resolve final differences
- DevelopingLebanese source: Aoun, Rubio agree on full Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon
- DevelopingLebanese President Aoun speaks with US VP Vance, Kushner, and Qatar PM on ceasefire
Source and signal
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