During the call, Rubio also criticized Lebanon's 1955 Boycott Law as "impractical" and urged direct military-to-military communication between Lebanese and Israeli forces for deconfliction to advance the Trilateral Framework agreement. Aoun pledged "no leniency toward the perpetrators" and asked Washington to press Israel to halt attacks and bulldozing in southern Lebanese villages. Rubio separately spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the call.
The probe follows the interception at the Dahr al-Baidar checkpoint in the Bekaa Valley of a Beirut-bound truck carrying roughly 800 kilograms of C-4, TNT, nails and metal balls, where security forces arrested two Hezbollah members. Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah publicly claimed ownership of the cargo — which sources told Reuters was meant for explosive drones targeting Israeli troops — and demanded the return of the explosives and the release of the detainees despite a March 2 Cabinet decision banning the group's military activities.