The United States has reportedly presented a proposal to de-escalate hostilities between Lebanon and Israel after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with both Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the last 48 hours.
Under the proposal, the US has asked that Iran-backed Hezbollah group would first halt all attacks on Israel, and in exchange, Israel would avoid further escalation in Beirut, a US official told news agency Reuters.
According to the official, Aoun attempted to push the proposal forward and secure support for it. However, Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who said he could 'guarantee' Hezbollah's commitment to a ceasefire, said that Israel must first stop 'shooting first'.
More than 3,300 people, including dozens of children, have been killed in Lebanon since the conflict began on March 2, two days after the US-Iran war started, according to the Associated Press. Around 1 million people have been forced from their homes.
