The Wall Street Journal reports that Secretary of State Marco Rubio convinced President Trump to adopt his approach, under which Israel remains in southern Lebanon. According to the report, Vice President JD Vance initially opposed the stance but has now withdrawn his objection and expressed support for the agreement. The development comes after the administration previously signaled flexibility on the demand for a full IDF withdrawal.
In a significant shift in the Trump administration's internal dynamics over Lebanon policy, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday morning that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has secured President Trump's backing for his framework, under which Israel maintains a continued presence in southern Lebanon — overruling a previous push by Vice President JD Vance for an alternative approach.
As The Zioneer reported at 06:47 Tuesday, the WSJ earlier indicated that Vance had come to support the Rubio agreement and that the US was no longer demanding a full IDF withdrawal from southern Lebanon. This latest report now places Rubio — and not Vance — as the winner of the argument, with the vice president described as having "folded" and "announcing support for the agreement."
The report follows weeks of reported division within the administration. On June 24, analyst Yoni Ben Menachem detailed to The Zioneer a struggle between Vance, whom he described as pushing a "pro-Iran and pro-Qatar line," and Rubio, who insisted on Lebanese sovereignty and Hezbollah disarmament. Tuesday's WSJ report indicates that Rubio's position now has the upper hand, with Vance dropping his opposition.
The precise terms of the agreement — including the scope of Israel's continued presence and the timeline — remain unreported. The WSJ report is based on administration sources but has not been independently confirmed.
- 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
- StrongIsraeli fears: Trump pressure on Netanyahu over south Lebanon withdrawal to persist after Iran MOU
- DevelopingRubio spoke to Netanyahu and Lebanon's Aoun overnight to resolve final differences
Source and signal
- Internal intake