U.S. Minister Marco Rubio said he expects Israel and Lebanon to move a step closer to signing a peace agreement. He identified Hezbollah, a pro-Iran armed faction in Lebanon, as a key driver of instability in the Middle East and stressed, "The problem is Hezbollah."
Minister Rubio appeared at a U.S. House hearing on the 3rd and said, "Leaders of Lebanon's legitimate government and the Israeli government have gathered at the State Department for two consecutive days," adding, "I hope a joint statement and an action plan for the security of both countries will come out today."
The "legitimate government of Lebanon" that Minister Rubio mentioned is taken to mean the Lebanese government, not Hezbollah, the armed faction backed by Iran. Minister Rubio said the joint statement the two sides are preparing "will be independent of Hezbollah and malign influence." Here, the "malign influence" appears to refer to Iran.
The ambassadors to the United States of Israel and Lebanon have been meeting since the previous day at the State Department building in Washington, D.C., discussing the signing of a peace agreement and security in the border area. This is the fourth round of direct talks between the two sides. The United States is said to have stepped up mediation as clashes between Israel and Hezbollah have emerged as a variable amid the ongoing end-of-war talks with Iran.
Minister Rubio also cast strong doubt on Hezbollah's credibility. He said, "About two weeks ago, Hezbollah proposed a halt to hostilities, then violated it and carried out attacks, and afterward claimed it was a mistake." At a Senate hearing the previous day, he also argued that Iran is pulling the strings behind Hezbollah to attack Israel, and that it is using the resulting conflict as leverage by linking it to end-of-war talks with the United States, saying, "The problem is Hezbollah."
Regarding the end-of-war talks with Iran, Minister Rubio said the handling of the stockpile of highly enriched uranium (HEU) is the biggest sticking point. He said, "In the documents (the United States and Iran) exchanged, this issue is addressed clearly," but added, "Iran's final approval has not yet been given."
Minister Rubio said, "The 'Majestic Fury' operation against Iran has ended," adding, "We define it as a victory in that we neutralized most of Iran's military capabilities and weapons production facilities."
He also aired frustrations with European allies ahead of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit to be held in Türkiye next month. He criticized that some NATO member states were uncooperative on U.S. military support and base access during the war with Iran, asking, "What kind of alliance is this?" He added that "The United States remains in NATO, but NATO needs significant changes," saying Washington will press for increases in members' defense spending and a recalibration of alliance roles.