Washington proposes ‘roadmap’ for de-escalation in Lebanon: US official 

Washington has put forward a proposal to de-escalate hostilities in Lebanon, a United States official has told Al Jazeera, adding that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has held separate talks with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The statement was made after Israel’s military took over the medieval Beaufort Castle just north of the Litani River in southern Lebanon as it conducts its deepest push into the country in decades.

The US official told Al Jazeera on Sunday that under the proposed “roadmap”, Hezbollah would halt all attacks on Israel in exchange for Israel refraining from further escalation in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

The US proposal aims to create a conducive environment for a gradual de-escalation and a complete, comprehensive cessation of all hostilities, the official added.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who promised to push deeper into Lebanon and called Sunday’s operation a “dramatic shift” in the campaign against Hezbollah, ordered the military on Monday to attack targets in ⁠⁠Beirut’s southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, ⁠a ⁠stronghold ⁠of the Lebanese group.

The US official placed responsibility for the current round of fighting squarely on Hezbollah and accused it of following Iran’s directives without regard for Lebanese interests.

Iran, the official added, was prolonging the conflict in Lebanon to position itself as a mediator.

“The quickest way to protect civilians and reduce escalation is for Hezbollah to cease fire immediately,” the official said, adding that Washington does not expect Israel to tolerate continued attacks on its civilians.

In a video statement released after the military took Beaufort Castle, Netanyahu said: “We have returned united, determined and stronger than ever.”

“Now my directive is to deepen and expand our hold in places that were under Hezbollah’s control. The capture of Beaufort is a dramatic stage and a dramatic shift in the policy we are leading.”

Israeli forces used Beaufort Castle, also known as Qalaat al-Shaqif, as a base during their two-decade occupation of southern Lebanon that ended in 2000.

More than one million people have been forcibly displaced across Lebanon since the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel escalated on March 2.

A “ceasefire” to halt the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah began on April 17 but has never been observed.

Both sides accuse each other of violating the ceasefire and justify their attacks by pointing to the other’s alleged breaches with Israel breaching it on an almost daily basis.

Israeli forces killed at least 12 people and wounded 35 in more than 36 attacks across southern Lebanon on Sunday alone, according to an Al Jazeera tally.

According to the latest figures from the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, more than 3,412 people have been killed and 10,269 wounded in Israeli attacks since March 2.

Countries across the world have slammed Israel’s escalation of its offensive on Lebanon.

French President Emmanuel Macron said “nothing justifies” it.

United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper called on Israel to halt its military activity in Lebanon, saying its escalation had “eroded space for diplomacy”.

Qatar condemned Israel’s continuing attacks on Lebanon and the expansion of its ground offensive in the south, describing the campaign as a serious escalation and violation of international law.

Egypt’s foreign minister, Badr Abdelatty, affirmed Cairo’s solidarity with Lebanon in a phone call with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. He also called for Israel’s withdrawal from all Lebanese territory.