Rubio leading efforts for Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, announcement expected Tuesday: Reports
WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is leading diplomatic efforts to consolidate a ceasefire in Lebanon, with a potential breakthrough expected as early as Tuesday according to Lebanese media. If successful, the announcement will follow Tuesday's negotiations between Lebanese and Israeli diplomats, LBCI television reported Monday. The Trump administration has proposed a new ceasefire initiative to both Israel and Lebanon as part of broader efforts to de-escalate renewed fighting after weeks of reduced conflict, with a larger goal of reaching a deal with Iran, multiple media outlets reported.
Rubio spoke with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over 48 hours to advance the initiative, Axios reported Monday citing an unnamed US official, and a Lebanese official confirmed Rubio raised the proposal with President Aoun. On Saturday, the Israeli military announced its soldiers captured the strategic hilltop crowned by the Crusader castle of Beaufort in southern Lebanon near Nabatiyeh, with Defence Minister Israel Katz declaring "Forty-four years after the heroic Battle of Beaufort, our troops have returned to the summit and raised the Israeli flag.
" European leaders strongly condemned Israel's actions, as French President Emmanuel Macron called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting, stating "nothing justifies the major escalation underway in south Lebanon" and demanding an end to fighting "for good," while after speaking with regional leaders, Macron said on X that reaching an agreement quickly between the United States and Iran was "essential." UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper called for an end to the operation, warning the military advance is "eroding space for diplomacy," and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul expressed "serious concern" over Israel's push into southern Lebanon, urging all sides to cease hostilities.
Lebanese state media's National News Agency reported Sunday that Israel contacted Loubiyeh's mayor to evacuate residents, following earlier urgent evacuation calls in multiple southern Lebanese towns. From 1982, when Israel invaded Lebanon against the Palestine Liberation Organisation under 'Operation Galilee' until its forced withdrawal in 2000 by Iran-backed Hezbollah, Israel occupied South Lebanon for nearly 20 years, and a 34-day conflict erupted again in 2006, ending with UN Resolution 1701 mandating southern Lebanon remain free of armed personnel except the Lebanese army and UNIFIL peacekeepers.
Following October 7, 2023 attacks, Hezbollah began "solidarity" strikes against Israel, and despite a brief 2024 US-brokered ceasefire, the deal collapsed in early 2026, leading to the current Israeli ground offensive. On Friday, Israeli and Lebanese military officers met at the Pentagon for the fourth time in Washington DC to discuss ceasefire possibilities, Israeli force withdrawal, Hezbollah disarming, and Lebanese armed forces deployment in southern Lebanon, with US Under Secretary of Defence for Policy Elbridge Colby hosting the delegations in "productive" talks focused on building "practical frameworks for regional security and stability," the Pentagon said, adding that progress will inform the State Department's political track reconvening next week.
The Pentagon stated it "supports Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity, free of armed non-state actors." Lebanon PM Nawaf Salam reaffirmed Saturday his government's determination to end the war and prevent Lebanon from becoming "a mailbox and an open arena for the conflicts of others," telling NNA that "Israel is not targeting specific sites; it is pursuing a policy of total devastation," calling Israel's actions "not only a violation of Lebanon's sovereignty but also an attempt to erase history." In a televised address, Salam denounced the "dangerous Israeli escalation," accusing Israel of "pursuing a scorched-earth policy and collective punishment" by destroying towns and villages and forcing inhabitants into exile, warning this will bring "neither security nor stability" to Israel.
