US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the United States should receive a response on Friday from Iran to the proposal to end the war. He added to reporters in Rome on Friday, "We will see what the response includes. We hope that it will be something that will put us on the path to a serious negotiation process." Rubio said: “Thursday’s strikes were separate from Operation Epic Rage, and if missiles are fired at America, we will respond.” Regarding Lebanon and Israel, Rubio commented: “We will not negotiate with Hezbollah and will focus on the Lebanese government.” He continued: Hezbollah is not only targeting Israel but also Lebanon, and we must cut off the party’s sources of funding and support the Lebanese government Rubio pointed out that the United States wants the legitimate government in Lebanon to be strong, and “Hezbollah is an obstacle to that.”