U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington is “aware” of Israel’s ongoing strikes in Lebanon despite a fragile ceasefire, adding that the United States has urged Israel “to make sure their responses are proportional and targeted.”

“So far that appears to be the case,” Rubio said in a Monday interview with Fox News.

“We’re aware they’re going to happen,” the top U.S. diplomat said. “And even in the agreement what’s abundantly clear is if Hezbollah is about to launch a bunch of rockets against Israel and against the villages to the north, that Israel has a right to address that before it happens.”

Rubio ruled out the possibility of Israel maintaining a long-term buffer zone inside Lebanon, responding “no” when asked whether the U.S. administration would accept such a scenario.

“I think the ideal outcome here would be one in which you wouldn’t need an Israeli presence,” Rubio said. “The Israelis will tell you that. They don’t want to permanently be in Lebanon. They are there now as a buffer zone to protect small arms and anti-tank missiles being launched into the villages, and even rockets in many cases from further out. But in the long term, Israel has made no territorial claims on Lebanon.”

He reiterated that Israel should not maintain a permanent presence on Lebanese territory, stressing that the core issue lies with Hezbollah’s armed status rather than with Lebanon itself.

“Israel has no territorial claims on Lebanon. There isn’t some part of Lebanon that Israel claims belongs to them,” Rubio said. “The problem Israel has is not with Lebanon. It’s with Hezbollah inside of Lebanon.”

He emphasized that Israel’s current presence is driven by immediate security concerns rather than territorial ambitions.

“I think if you ask the Israelis, they would tell you the perfect outcome is a strong Lebanese Government with a strong Lebanese Armed Forces who is able to dismantle Hezbollah, to prevent them from these attacks and ultimately to make sure that they don’t exist anymore as a military unit,” he said.

Rubio’s remarks came after two rounds of talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials held in Washington at the ambassadorial level. U.S. President Donald Trump attended the latest round, which took place last week at the White House.

He described the discussions as “very successful,” while cautioning that normalization between Lebanon and Israel remains distant. 

"Both the Lebanese and Israelis seek peace," he stated. 

“I mean, obviously that would be very promising, but we’re not at that point,” he said, referring to the Abraham Accords.

Rubio acknowledged that while the Lebanese Armed Forces may be willing to confront Hezbollah, they currently lack the full capability to address all threats posed by the group.