Beirut, June 19 (SANA) Lebanese President Joseph Aoun held a phone call Friday with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss the current situation in Lebanon and the region in light of recent developments, stressing the need for a comprehensive halt to Israeli attacks on Lebanese territory.
According to Lebanon’s National News Agency, Aoun emphasized that achieving a comprehensive ceasefire is a fundamental prerequisite for advancing Lebanese-US-Israeli negotiations scheduled to take place in Washington next week. The talks aim to restore Lebanon’s security, stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity, the presidency said.
Rubio reaffirmed US support for Lebanon and said Washington would work to achieve “security and stability” in the country, ensure the extension of state authority over all its territory, and support Lebanon’s legitimate political, security and military institutions, “foremost among them the army”.
The call, initiated by Rubio, comes as a senior US official announced Friday that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to a ceasefire, brokered by US and Qatari mediators following talks with Israel and Iran. The truce took effect at 4 p.m. local time, according to the official.
Earlier Friday, Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley killed at least 47 people and wounded dozens more, according to Lebanese health authorities. The attacks triggered a new wave of displacement, with roads leading north toward Beirut congested by families fleeing the bombardment.
KhA
