Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun held a phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday, during which the two officials discussed the situation in Lebanon and developments across the wider region.

According to a statement, the conversation covered the country’s current political and security environment as well as ongoing regional tensions.

President Aoun emphasized during the call the urgent need to exert all possible efforts to secure a ceasefire in Lebanon, describing it as the essential prerequisite for any further steps. He said reaching a cessation of hostilities is also necessary to create the conditions needed to address other pending political and security issues.

For his part, Rubio reaffirmed the US administration’s commitment to continuing its efforts to implement and preserve the outcomes of previous meetings held in Washington. He also reiterated US support for Lebanon’s stability, independence, and sovereignty over its entire territory, as well as what he described as Lebanon’s full and inherent right to determine its own future.