US backs IDF escalation in Lebanon while Rubio pushes new ceasefire

“The U.S. does not expect Israel to absorb ongoing attacks on its civilians by a terrorist organization,” an American official said.

By World Israel News Staff

The United States is pressing a new ceasefire plan between Israel and Lebanon while signaling that it will not block a broader Israeli escalation against Hezbollah if cross-border attacks continue.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke in recent days with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun as Washington sought to contain the fighting, which has intensified despite earlier US-brokered ceasefire announcements.

A US official said the proposal would require Hezbollah to halt all missile and drone attacks against Israel. In return, Israel would refrain from escalating its military campaign in Beirut.

“This would create space for gradual de-escalation and an effective cessation of hostilities,” the official said, according to Reuters.

But the same official also made clear that Washington’s patience with Hezbollah’s continued attacks is limited.

“The US. does not expect Israel to absorb ongoing attacks on its civilians by a terrorist organization,” the official told multiple outlets.

Another US official told the Jerusalem Post that “the fastest way to de-escalate and protect civilians on all sides is for Hezbollah to stop firing immediately.”

The comments came as Israel sought US approval to expand military operations in Beirut, Israeli officials said.

The request followed days of heavy Hezbollah fire into northern Israel and an Israeli ground advance deeper into southern Lebanon.

Netanyahu on Sunday ordered the Israeli military to expand its ground operation in Lebanon. Israeli forces seized Beaufort Castle and a strategic ridge in southern Lebanon, the military said, after one of the heaviest rounds of Hezbollah fire since the April ceasefire.

On Monday, Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut’s southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, citing what they called repeated Hezbollah ceasefire violations and attacks on Israeli cities and civilians.

Israel had largely avoided major strikes in Beirut since President Donald Trump announced a Lebanon ceasefire in mid-April, though fighting continued in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.

Lebanese officials said Aoun supported Rubio’s proposal and tried to advance it. But US officials said Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally who has acted as a channel to the group, gave what one official called an “evasive and disappointing” response.

Berri said he could guarantee Hezbollah’s “full and immediate commitment to a ceasefire,” but only if Israel stopped first.

“But the question is, who will compel Israel to stop its aggression?” Berri said, according to Lebanese media cited by Reuters.

Axios reported that the latest US effort has “fizzled” as Israel expands its campaign and seeks a freer hand to strike Hezbollah in Beirut. A senior Lebanese official told the outlet that neither Hezbollah nor Israel currently appears interested in a ceasefire.