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U.S. Special Envoy Amos Hochstein said the U.S. aims to end the Lebanon war “as soon as possible” and said the U.S. is seeking a lasting solution to the crisis without disclosing many details about its diplomatic push. He emphasized that he was looking for it.
After meeting with National Assembly Speaker Navi Berri in Beirut on Monday, Hochstein said ceasefire efforts would focus on implementing the United Nations Security Council resolution that ended the last war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006. He suggested that
Resolution 1701 called for the Lebanese Army and U.N. peacekeepers to be the only military presence between the border with Israel and the Litani River, about 30 kilometers (18 miles) to the north.
Hochstein said on Monday that resolution 1701 would be the “foundation” for ending the war, but stressed the need to enforce resolution 1701, which would drive Hezbollah fighters from Israel’s borders.
He said the United States was working with Lebanon and Israel to find a “formula” that would end the conflict “once and for all” and usher in “a new era of prosperity."
Hochstein added that additional steps need to be taken to ensure Section 1701 is “enforced fairly, accurately and transparently so that everyone knows the path we are on.” Ta.
israel’s proposal
It is unclear whether Hezbollah will agree to withdraw its troops from the border area. The 2006 resolution that ended hostilities between Lebanese groups and Israel did not include any meaningful enforcement mechanisms.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which conducts peacekeeping operations, is primarily responsible for monitoring and supporting the Lebanese army. Its mandate only allows it to report on military activity, not to confront Hezbollah.
And the ill-equipped Lebanese army, which deployed across southern Lebanon after the 2006 war, has historically not taken on Hezbollah, the group represented by the Beirut government.
The US news website Axios reported on Sunday that Israel last week presented Hochstein with terms for ending the war, requiring Israeli forces to carry out “aggressive enforcement” in Lebanon and giving them freedom to operate in Lebanese airspace. It was reported that the government requested that it be recognized.
If confirmed, Israel’s terms would violate Resolution 1701, which calls for “full respect” of the interim border between Israel and Lebanon, known as the Blue Line.
Lebanon has recorded thousands of violations of 1701 by Israel over the years, including frequent violations of its territorial waters and airspace.
Hochstein on Monday declined to comment on the alleged Israeli proposal, saying he was trying to conduct diplomacy “in private.”
Berri, a close ally of Hezbollah, said the meeting with Hochstein was good, but what was important was the result, Lebanese news agencies reported.
Last October, Hezbollah launched attacks on Israeli military positions in northern Israel, saying it was aimed at pressuring the Israeli government to end its war in Gaza.
The violence displaced tens of thousands of people on both sides of the Blue Line, with the majority confined to border areas.
But last month, Israel launched a massive bombing campaign and ground invasion of southern Lebanon, displacing more than 1.2 million people and reducing large swaths of the country to rubble, including parts of Beirut’s southern suburbs.
The United States fully supports the Israeli operation, even though civilian homes and residential buildings across the country have been targeted.
“sad”
Hochstein, who previously served in the Israeli army, said on Monday that he was “saddened” by the devastation in Lebanon.
The US provides at least $3.8 billion in military aid to Israel each year, and President Joe Biden has announced an additional $14 billion to fund Israel’s attack on Gaza, which UN experts describe as genocide. approved assistance.
The US government also refuses to condemn Israel’s obvious abuses in Lebanon, including the ongoing destruction of border towns in southern Lebanon.
Mr. Hochstein appears to blame Hezbollah for the war because it linked the ceasefire in Lebanon to the end of Israel’s war in Gaza.
“Let me be clear: It is not and is not in the interest of the Lebanese people to link Lebanon’s future to other conflicts in the region,” Hochstein told reporters.
Hezbollah, which supports the Lebanese negotiations led by Berri, pledged this month not to allow residents of Israeli border towns to return to their homes until the wars in Gaza and Lebanon are over.
Hezbollah has suffered major blows in recent weeks, including the assassination of leader Hassan Nasrallah and several senior political and military officials.
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Navi Berri (right) meets with US envoy Amos Hochstein in Beirut on October 21, 2024 (Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)
Still, the group was able to sustain attacks against invading Israeli forces while enduring steady rocket attacks that reached deep into Israel.
Hezbollah has announced it has killed and wounded hundreds of Israeli soldiers in recent weeks.
In a bold operation on Saturday, Hezbollah targeted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home in Caesarea, north of Tel Aviv, with a drone.
Hezbollah on Monday claimed to have carried out dozens of attacks against Israeli forces, including firing rockets at positions in northern Israel and Syria’s occupied Golan Heights.
