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The U.S. has proposed a plan for gradual de-escalation between Israel and Lebanon, with Hezbollah stopping all attacks on Israel as a first step and Israel refraining from escalation in Beirut in return, a senior U.S. official said Sunday.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the diplomatic negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, according to the official.
“This would create space for gradual de-escalation and an effective cessation of hostilities,” the official said.
The U.S. official said Washington proposed a clear sequence to move the talks forward: Hezbollah must stop all attacks on Israel, and Israel would then refrain from escalation in Beirut.
The official said Aoun tried to advance the proposal and secure an agreement.
However, Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who claimed to “guarantee” Hezbollah’s commitment to a ceasefire, placed the burden on Israel to stop “shooting first,” the official said.
Berri is considered an ally of Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Hezbollah says Israel must cease its hostilities first.
The U.S. official said Washington did not expect Israel to absorb ongoing attacks on its civilians from Hezbollah.
“The fastest way to de-escalate and protect civilians on all sides is for Hezbollah to stop firing immediately,” the official said.
Netanyahu said Sunday that he had ordered Israeli troops to move further into Lebanon in the battle against Hezbollah, despite a ceasefire announced more than six weeks ago.
In the latest advance, Israeli troops seized the 900-year-old Beaufort Castle and a strategic ridge in southern Lebanon, the Israeli military said Sunday.
The move came a day after one of the heaviest days of Hezbollah fire toward northern Israel since the April cease-fire, prompting school closures and restrictions.
France called for the United Nations Security Council to hold an emergency meeting Monday over the expanding Israeli offensive.
Another meeting between Israel and Lebanon, which do not have diplomatic relations, is scheduled for June 2 and 3 in Washington.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry says Israeli attacks have killed more than 3,412 people since early March, with more than 1 million others displaced.
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