- Hezbollah called for a stop to the attacks.
- Israel urged to avoid escalation in Beirut.
- Talks in Washington planned for June.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about diplomatic negotiations between Israel and Lebanon and proposed a plan to allow for a “gradual de-escalation”, a US official said on Sunday.
The United States has proposed that, as a first step, the Iran-backed Hezbollah group stop all attacks against Israel and, in return, Israel refrain from an escalation in Beirut, the official said.
“To advance those talks, the United States proposed a clear sequence: Hezbollah must stop all attacks against Israel. In return, Israel would refrain from an escalation in Beirut,” the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said of the talks between the three leaders.
“This would create space for a gradual de-escalation and an effective cessation of hostilities,” according to the official.
They added that 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 US official said Berri's “response was evasive and disappointing.”
Netanyahu had said on Sunday that he ordered troops to advance toward Lebanon in the battle against Hezbollah, despite the ceasefire announced more than six weeks ago.
In the latest advance, Israeli troops seized the 900-year-old Beaufort Castle and a strategic hill in southern Lebanon, the military said earlier on Sunday, a day after one of the most intense days of Hezbollah fire into northern Israel since the April ceasefire, prompting school closures and restrictions.
The U.S. official said the United States did not expect Israel to absorb ongoing attacks on its civilians by Hezbollah.
Hezbollah, for its part, says Israel must first cease its hostilities.
“Hezbollah is following Tehran's lead. It clearly has no interest in the well-being of the Lebanese people,” the US official said.
“The quickest way to reduce tension and protect civilians on all sides is for Hezbollah to stop shooting immediately,” the official added.
The US official's comments come as another meeting between Israel and Lebanon, which do not have diplomatic relations, is scheduled for June 2-3 in Washington.
Lebanon's Health Ministry says Israeli strikes have killed more than 3,412 people since early March and more than a million have been displaced.
