Lebanese president tells Rubio ceasefire is essential as Netanyahu says Israeli forces crossed Litani river

“Lebanese president tells Rubio ceasefire is essential as Netanyahu says Israeli forces crossed Litani river Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday that reaching a ceasefire with Israel was essential, as Israeli and Lebanese military delegations met at the Pentagon. A statement from Aoun’s office said the president told Rubio during a phone call that all efforts must be made to secure a ceasefire, describing it as “an essential gateway to moving on to any other step”. The call came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier on Friday that Israeli forces had crossed Lebanon’s Litani River, which runs around 30km north of the border between Lebanon and Israel. “Our forces have crossed the Litani, they have moved up to the commanding terrain. We are operating in Beirut, in the Beqaa, across the entire front and are hitting Hezbollah head on,” Netanyahu said during a visit to troops near the border, according to a video released by his office. His remarks came as fighting in Lebanon continued despite diplomatic efforts to advance a ceasefire framework. A fireball erupts from a building following an Israeli strike in Tyre, southern Lebanon, on 28 May 2026 (AFP/ Kawant Haju)

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