The Wall Street Journal reports that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has convinced President Trump to adopt his position that Israel should remain in Lebanon, according to a single Israeli news outlet. The report adds that Vice President JD Vance has relented and announced support for the arrangement.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Vice President JD Vance has relented and announced his support for the arrangement under which Israel remains in southern Lebanon, following Secretary of State Marco Rubio's persuasion of President Trump. This latest claim, relayed by a single Israeli news outlet citing the Journal, emerges as the latest in a series of overlapping reports from the same source. The Journal's initial report (Tue 08:13) stated Rubio convinced Trump, with Vance yielding; a subsequent Zioneer bulletin at 14:38 added that Witkoff was en route to Qatar for Iran talks. The current update confirms Vance's concession.
The thread began with the Journal's report at 08:13 Tuesday, citing Rubio's success and Vance's initial opposition yielding. That report was relayed by multiple Israeli outlets, but the Journal's original text was not directly quoted. A prior Zioneer bulletin at 14:38 Tuesday expanded the claim to include Witkoff's reported travel to Qatar. Throughout the thread, the sourcing has remained a single third-party relay, with no direct US or Israeli confirmation.
As The Zioneer reported earlier this week (Wed 07:08), analyst Yoni Ben Menachem described a struggle between Vance and Rubio over Lebanon strategy, with Vance pushing a pro-Iran line. A subsequent background item (Sat 20:14) noted Rubio's view that the Lebanon-Israel deal could bypass the U.S.-Iran MOU, set against internal Republican divisions. A bulletin on Fri 20:11 reported Rubio spoke with Netanyahu and Lebanon's Aoun to resolve differences.
The claim remains unverified. No official US or Israeli government statement confirms the internal outcome or Vance's concession. The original Journal article has not been quoted directly, and the channel remains a third-party relay.
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