Rubio repeatedly described Israel’s campaign in Lebanon as a legitimate response to Hezbollah attacks.By Vered Weiss, World Israel NewsPublic differences between Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio over Israel and the U.S.-Iran peace effort have drawn attention, even as President Donald Trump’s administration insists its senior officials remain united behind the president’s foreign policy.Reuters reported Friday that the two officials have delivered different public messages while promoting the preliminary U.S.-Iran agreement signed on June 17, particularly regarding Israel’s military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon.During visits to the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain, Rubio sought to reassure regional partners concerned that the interim agreement grants excessive concessions to Iran. He repeatedly described Israel’s campaign in Lebanon as a legitimate response to Hezbollah attacks and declined to criticize Israeli actions when questioned about Vance’s remarks.Addressing reconstruction, Rubio said Tuesday that requesting Gulf funding was “far down the road.” Speaking Thursday with regional officials, he stressed that negotiations would not come at the expense of American or allied security.“While we want a deal, we don’t want a deal at any price,” Rubio said.Vance has defended the agreement against Israeli critics and argued that Israeli strikes on civilian infrastructure in Beirut, carried out as part of efforts to weaken Hezbollah following its attacks on Israel, risk complicating U.S.-led diplomatic efforts. He has also expressed optimism about negotiations with Iran, spoken in favor of Gulf states helping finance Iran’s reconstruction, and said the United States could pursue a more cooperative relationship with Tehran. In an interview released Thursday, Vance said Washington had invited an Iranian intelligence official to serve as a deconfliction liaison with the Pentagon in Qatar.The White House rejected suggestions of internal disagreement.“There is one camp – President Trump’s camp – and the entire administration is fully behind the President’s efforts to ensure Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon,” spokeswoman Anna Kelly said.State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott likewise dismissed reports of divisions as a “tired and fake” narrative, adding, “The entire administration is 100% in lockstep behind President Trump.”Rubio echoed that position Thursday, saying, “Everyone here is aligned behind the president.”The post Rubio and Vance disagree on Israeli strikes against Hezbollah as White House claims unity appeared first on World Israel News.