U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in Evian, on June 16, 2026.(Credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP)
BEIRUT — President Joseph Aoun received a phone call Friday evening from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Lebanese presidency announced on its X account.
The visit to Washington by the head of state, mentioned Wednesday by Donald Trump at the G7 summit in Evian and announced for ''one or two weeks,'' was not discussed during the conversation.
During the call, Aoun stressed that a comprehensive cease-fire must be secured in order for talks with Israel to progress. The Lebanese presidency said Aoun thanked Rubio for U.S. support but emphasized ''the need for Israeli attacks on Lebanese territory to cease through the achievement of a comprehensive cease-fire, which Lebanon considers a fundamental basis for advancing the Lebanese-U.S.-Israeli negotiations scheduled to take place in Washington next week.''
Rubio, for his part, reiterated the need to disarm Hezbollah and reaffirmed U.S. ''support for the Government of Lebanon’s efforts to create a fully sovereign Lebanese state that is at peace with all its neighbors,'' State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement.
