U.S. push for Lebanon ceasefire stalls as Israel eyes Beirut strikes

The latest U.S. push for a ceasefire in Lebanon has fizzled just as Israel is expanding its ground invasion and seeking a U.S. green light to conduct massive strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut, sources tell Axios. Why it matters: The U.S. has urged Israel against striking Beirut for several weeks as part of a broader deescalation push, but a U.S. official hinted that position could soften. "The U.S. does not expect Israel to absorb ongoing attacks on its civilians by a terrorist organization," the official told Axios. The big picture: The Trump administration's deescalation effort in Lebanon has been partially motivated by its desire to reach a deal with Iran. The memorandum of understanding the U.S. and Iran are negotiating includes an end to the fighting in Lebanon. At the moment, the conflict is expanding and appears likely to spiral out of control. Driving the news: Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke over the last 48 hours with both Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to try and push forward a new ceasefire initiative, a U.S. official told Axios. A Lebanese official confirmed Rubio raised the initiative with Aoun. The basic idea was that Hezbollah would halt its missile and drone attacks against Israel, and Israel would avoid escalation in Beirut, according to the U.S. official. The U.S. official said Aoun was supportive and asked the speaker of Lebanon's parliament, Nabih Berri, to press Hezbollah to halt its attacks into Israel. The U.S. official claimed Berri, who leads a major Shia party and has links to Hezbollah, gave an "evasive and disappointing" response, suggesting it should be Israel that stops firing first. Reality check: President Trump and Rubio have announced several ceasefires between Israel and Lebanon over the last two months but they have existed mostly on paper, with both Israel and Hezbollah violating them. Zoom out: Rubio's latest ceasefire push comes in the context of...

Original source: Axios