Secretary of State Marco Rubio framed the talks as a “historic opportunity” that goes beyond a ceasefire, aiming to establish a long-term framework to end Hezbollah’s influence and Iranian-backed aggression while improving security and prosperity for both Israelis and Lebanese. He emphasized that Lebanon’s population is a victim of both Hezbollah and Iran. He stressed that while progress will take time, the goal is to launch a sustained diplomatic process that can lead to a permanent and lasting peace, allowing Israel to live without rocket threats and Lebanon to achieve stability and a better future.
The following is the full text of Rubio’s opening remarks.
Thank you for being here today. We’re very honored to be joined by two countries that the United States wants to have strong relations with, and we’re obviously very happy to serve in this facilitating role.
This is a historic opportunity. We understand we’re working against decades of history and complexities that have led us to this unique moment. And the opportunity here – I know some of you [to reporters] were shouting questions about a ceasefire. This is a lot more than just about that. This is about bringing a permanent end to 20 or 30 years of Hezbollah’s influence in this part of the world, not just the damage that it’s inflicted on Israel, the damage that it’s inflicted on the Lebanese people. We have to remember that the Lebanese people are victims of Hezbollah. The Lebanese people are victims of Iranian aggression. And this needs to stop.
And so our hope here – and I know this will be a process, all of the complexities of this matter are not going to be resolved in the next six hours. But we can begin to move forward to create the framework where something can happen – something very positive, something very permanent – so that the people of Lebanon can have the kind of future they deserve, and so that the people of Israel can live without fear of being struck by rocket attacks from a terrorist proxy of Iran.
So that is the hope here today. That is what we are beginning to work. We are joined by excellent people who will be in a position to obviously take this back to their respective capitals. This is a process, not an event. This is more than just one day. This will take time. But we believe it’s worth this endeavor, and it’s a historic gathering that we hope to build on, and the hope today is that we can outline the framework upon which a permanent and lasting peace can be developed so that, as I said, the people of Israel can live in peace, and the people of Lebanon can live not just in peace but the prosperity and security that they deserve.
Source: “Secretary of State Marco Rubio Before Working-Level Peace Talks with Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese Ambassador to the United States Nada Hamadeh Moawad at the Department of State,” U.S. Department of State, (April 14, 2026).