Israel-Lebanon peace 'achievable', but not easy. What’s really blocking it? Rubio answers

Marco Rubio said a potential peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon is achievable. However, he warned that the path forward will be complex and heavily dependent on addressing Hezbollah's influence. “I think a peace deal between Lebanon and Israel is eminently achievable and should be,” Rubio said during a briefing at the White House. “The problem with Israel and Lebanon is not Israel or Lebanon, it’s Hezbollah.”

He said that the long-running tensions are rooted in the group’s role in the conflict. “This has been going on for a very long time,” he said later. “What is our hope? Our hope is to engage the Lebanese and Israeli governments under our mediation at the table to achieve this, and that is having Lebanese armed forces and a Lebanese government, not just with a willingness, but with the capability to begin to challenge Hezbollah and disarm them.”

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The remarks come after Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon last month, alongside plans for direct talks between the two nations’ leaders in Washington aimed at reaching a lasting agreement. However, those high-level discussions have yet to take place. Rubio stressed that the United States remains committed to advancing the process. “It’s not going to be easy,” he said, adding, “This has been going on for a very long time.”

“We’re going to do everything we can to make sure that both sides continue to talk so that progress can be made on some sort of permanent ceasefire that isn’t constantly spoiled by Hezbollah and by Hezbollah violence,” he said.

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