Vice President JD Vance has publicly endorsed Secretary of State Marco Rubio's stance that Israel should not be compelled to withdraw from southern Lebanon, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Vance stated that no one in President Trump's team wants to force Israel to hand over the area to Iran's proxy, rejecting the Iranian demand.
Vice President JD Vance has now publicly aligned with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the Lebanon file, stating explicitly that no one on President Trump's team wants to force Israel to hand over all of southern Lebanon to Iran's proxy. The remark, reported by the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, marks a further consolidation of the administration's position and effectively strengthens the emerging US interpretation of the bilateral MOU with Lebanon. As The Zioneer reported earlier Tuesday (08:14), the interpretation reportedly blocks the Iranian demand for a full IDF withdrawal. Vance's latest statement comes after earlier reports suggested he had initially opposed Rubio's approach but has since withdrawn his objection. The development reinforces the administration's line that Israel retains the right to self-defense and is not obligated to vacate southern Lebanon under the current framework.
5 developments
- StrongWSJ: Trump administration's US interpretation of Lebanon MOU blocks Iran's full-withdrawal demand
- StrongAnalyst: US administration divided over Lebanon talks — Vance pro-Iran, Rubio backs Lebanese sovereignty
- DevelopingRubio spoke to Netanyahu and Lebanon's Aoun overnight to resolve final differences
- DevelopingAbu Ali Express: Trump has Vance and Rubio sign separate agreements with Iran and Lebanon
Source and signal
- Internal intake