In a phone call with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed Washington's view that the Shiite organization Hezbollah must stop attacks on Israel to reduce tensions.
This was stated in a written statement by State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott.
According to him, Rubio praised the readiness of the Lebanese authorities to “conduct direct negotiations with Israel, despite Hezbollah's continued attempts to sabotage them to the detriment of the Lebanese people“.
“He reiterated that Hezbollah bears full responsibility for the ongoing fighting and stressed that de-escalation requires an immediate cessation of Hezbollah's attacks and provocations“, he added Pigott.
“As the Secretary of State reiterated, the United States fully supports the Lebanese government in its efforts to seize this historic opportunity to secure peace, reconstruction, and a better future for its people.“
A formal ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel has been in effect since April 17, but the two sides continue to regularly exchange isolated strikes in areas along the Lebanese-Israeli border.
On May 25, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he had ordered increased strikes against Hezbollah targets in response to increased drone attacks on Israeli territory.