Vance and Rubio Statements on Israel’s Lebanon Campaign Differ in Emphasis but Administration Claims Unity

Vice President JD Vance criticized Israeli bombings of civilian infrastructure in Beirut last week while Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended Israel's military campaign in Lebanon during a trip through the Gulf this week. -Iran deal signed June 17.

Rubio, who visited the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain, described Israel's actions as a justified response to Hezbollah attacks and recounted an assault by the group on an Israeli checkpoint earlier in the week.

Rubio said on June 23 that he would not ask Gulf allies to fund Iran's reconstruction, calling the idea far down the road. During a meeting with regional officials on June 25 he added that any deal must protect U.S. " Vance traveled to Switzerland and spoke to reporters on June 21.

In an interview released June 25 he said the United States had invited an Iranian intelligence official to serve as a deconfliction liaison with the Pentagon in Qatar and suggested Gulf states could fund Iran's reconstruction. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said there is one camp and the entire administration is fully behind the president's efforts to ensure Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon.

State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott called reports of divisions between Rubio and Vance a tired and fake narrative and said the administration is 100 percent in lockstep behind President Trump.

A separate State Department spokesperson said the administration's goal remains restoring Lebanese government sovereignty over its entire territory. Michael Rubin, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said Rubio and Vance represent different strains within the party.