<p>US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has spoken over the past 48 hours with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an effort to advance a new ceasefire initiative, a US official told <i>Channel 12 News'</i> Barak Ravid.</p><p>According to the report, the initiative was raised as part of ongoing contacts between Israel and Lebanon, with a subsequent round of diplomatic talks between the two sides expected to take place in Washington this week. The US official noted that the United States proposed that Hezbollah first halt all attacks on Israel, in exchange for Israel refraining from escalating its operations in Beirut.</p> | Read More in News from Israel