Rubio says boosting Lebanese Armed Forces capacity central to resolving Israel-Lebanon tensions

Secretary Rubio told reporters that Israel’s presence in southern Lebanon is driven by attacks from Hizballah and that a phased approach is envisioned to expand Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) control through pilot zones and capacity-building.

"The only reason Israel is in Lebanon is because Hizballah launches rockets and drones from there," Rubio said, describing the negotiations as aiming to enable the legitimate Lebanese government and the LAF to secure territory currently controlled by Hizballah. He said discussions are ongoing with Lebanese authorities and that pilot zones could allow the LAF to take control of specific defined areas and then expand to the next zone as capacity improves.

Rubio acknowledged that building LAF capacity "is not going to happen overnight" and that the U.S. aims to help develop that capacity. He said the talks about pilot zones are part of the core negotiation agenda and framed the approach as a stepwise process to reduce Hizballah’s operational space and decrease Israeli military presence over time if the LAF can secure territory.

On related regional matters, Rubio said Sudan was raised in discussions with Emirati officials, referenced momentum from recent talks in Berlin, and said Special Envoy Massad Boulos remains engaged daily on ceasefire and humanitarian access. When asked about Michael Boulos's presence at the meeting, Rubio said Michael "was just there to see his brother who lives here" and was not part of the working discussions.

The briefing then closed.