US Proposes Gradual De-Escalation Plan to Ease Israel-Lebanon Tensions Amid Renewed Fighting

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has held separate calls with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, putting forward a new diplomatic framework aimed at achieving a “gradual de-escalation” between Israel and Lebanon, a US official revealed on Sunday.

Under the American proposal, the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement would be required to halt all attacks against Israel as an initial step, after which Israel would commit to refraining from further escalation in Beirut.

“To advance those talks, the United States proposed a clear sequence: Hezbollah must stop all attacks on Israel. In return, Israel would refrain from escalation in Beirut,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“This would create space for gradual de-escalation and an effective cessation of hostilities,” the official added.

According to the official, President Aoun made efforts to advance the proposal and work toward an agreement. However, Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri — who claimed he could “guarantee” Hezbollah’s adherence to a ceasefire — shifted responsibility onto Israel, insisting it must stop “shooting first.” The US official described Berri’s stance as “evasive and disappointing.”

On the ground, Israeli forces continued their advance into Lebanese territory. Troops seized the historic 900-year-old Beaufort Castle and captured a strategically significant ridge in southern Lebanon, the Israeli military confirmed on Sunday — one day after what was described as among the heaviest barrages of Hezbollah rocket fire toward northern Israel since the April ceasefire. The attacks prompted school closures and movement restrictions across the region.

Netanyahu publicly confirmed on Sunday that he had ordered troops deeper into Lebanon as part of ongoing operations against Hezbollah.

The US official stressed that Washington would not expect Israel to absorb continuous attacks on its civilian population. Hezbollah, for its part, has maintained that Israel must stand down first.

“Hezbollah is following Tehran’s lead. It clearly has no interest in the welfare of the Lebanese people,” the official said, adding: “The fastest way to de-escalate and protect civilians on all sides is for Hezbollah to stop firing immediately.”

The diplomatic push comes ahead of scheduled talks between Israel and Lebanon in Washington on June 2 and 3 — a rare engagement between two countries that do not maintain formal diplomatic relations. Lebanon’s health ministry has reported that Israeli military operations have killed more than 3,412 people since early March, with over one million civilians displaced across the country.