US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says a peace deal between Israel and Lebanon is “imminently achievable,” but Hezbollah is playing spoiler.
“By and large, I think a peace deal between Lebanon and Israel is imminently achievable, and should be,” Rubio says during a White House press briefing. “The problem with Israel and Lebanon is not Israel or Lebanon, it’s Hezbollah.”
“The reason why Lebanon gets attacked by Israel is because Hezbollah is… launching rockets against Israelis,” he argues.
Hezbollah has argued that it is acting to push Israel out of the large buffer zone it has created in southern Lebanon — one that Jerusalem says is necessary to protect its northern border towns from Hezbollah fire.
Rubio says the US is mediating between Jerusalem and Beirut, with the goal of empowering the Lebanese government to “begin to challenge Hezbollah in disarmament.”
“We’re going to do everything we can to make sure that both sides continue to talk so the progress can be made on some sort of permanent ceasefire that isn’t constantly spoiled by Hezbollah,” Rubio adds.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, May 5, 2026
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
