The ban, enforced on Fridays to prevent attacks on mosques during weekly prayers, now covers most of the day.

Speaking at the State Department on Friday, Rice said Hezbollah is the source of the problem in Lebanon and must be disarmed. “We must work urgently to create the conditions for stability and lasting peace,” she said.

Esseily and her husband, Tony, have three children: a 10-month-old, an 11-year-old and a 12-year-old. They and 1,000 other American evacuees from Beirut arrived in Cyprus aboard the Navy transport ship USS Nashville early Friday.