Lebanon’s Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri received a phone call from the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken on Friday, which lasted about 40 minutes, during which they discussed the situation in Lebanon amid the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, a statement from the speaker's office said.
The conflict erupted one year ago when the Iranian-backed group began launching rockets at northern Israel in support of the Palestinian group Hamas, at the start of the Gaza war.
It has intensified in recent weeks, with Israel bombing southern Lebanon, Beirut's southern suburbs and the Bekaa Valley, killing many of Hezbollah's top leaders, and sending ground troops across the border. Hezbollah for its part has fired rockets deeper into Israel.
Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Qassem had earlier this week said the party backed moves by Berri, a Hezbollah ally, to secure a halt to the fighting.
Israel says its campaign in Lebanon aims to make northern Israel safe for tens of thousands of people forced to leave over the last year by Hezbollah rocket fire.
Its expanded operation has displaced more than 1.2 million people, according to the Lebanese government, which says more than 2,100 people have been killed and more than 10,000 wounded in over a year of fighting.
