Lebanon PM meets Rubio as Israel talks stall: What to know

WASHINGTON — Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Monday as US efforts to advance a security framework between Lebanon and Israel have made little progress since the two sides last held formal talks in August. Following the meeting, Salam released a statement saying that it had focused on “developments in Lebanon and the region as well as the path to restoring Lebanon's full sovereignty.” Salam called for “establishing a clear timeline for implementing the commitments” in Lebanon and Israel’s US-backed June framework. Per the statement, Rubio “affirmed the United States' commitment to supporting Lebanon” and underscored "the importance of moving forward with the implementation of the tripartite framework.” What happened: Salam arrived on Monday morning at the State Department for his meeting with Rubio. Lebanon’s official news agency NNA reported that Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Youssef Raggi and Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh attended the meeting.