Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call that a comprehensive ceasefire must be secured in order for talks with Israel to progress, AFP reports.

The Lebanese presidency says Aoun thanked Rubio for US support but stressed “the need for Israeli attacks on Lebanese territory to cease through the achievement of a comprehensive ceasefire, which Lebanon considers a fundamental basis for advancing the Lebanese-US-Israeli negotiations scheduled to take place in Washington next week”.