Rubio: While emphasizing that Hezbollah must no longer be a military danger, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the US favors talks between Israel and Lebanon in order to prevent a wider confrontation.

At his year-end press conference on Friday, Rubio told reporters that “everyone shares the goal of a strong Lebanese government that controls the country and Hezbollah is disarmed.”

According to him, Washington believes that Israel should not be threatened by any armed organization.

“I believe that everyone can see that nobody supports a Hezbollah that could endanger Israel’s security once more,” Rubio said.

According to Rubio, US diplomacy has centered on giving Lebanon’s government more authority.

“That’s the objective here, and we have worked together to do everything we can to enable the Lebanese government to be able to do that,” he said.

According to him, the goal of the discussions is to stop things from becoming worse.

Rubio said, “We are therefore hopeful that the negotiations between Israel and Lebanon will produce outlines and a path forward that prevents further conflict.”

He warned that if Israel continues to feel threatened, peace would not be feasible.

He said, “They will take action in their defense against Hezbollah if they feel threatened by them.”

According to Rubio, a powerful central government in Beirut is the best course of action.

“Having a strong Lebanese government that can truly control the country and that Hezbollah is no longer an armed threat is the best way to avoid it,” he said.

Since the start of the Gaza war, Israel and Hezbollah have been firing at each other periodically along the Israel-Lebanon border, which has sparked concerns of a larger regional battle.

In the past, the United States has designated Hezbollah a terrorist group while maintaining backing for Lebanon’s official institutions. Additionally, Washington has supported diplomatic and UN initiatives to keep the Israel-Lebanon conflict from turning into a full-scale conflict.