US Agent Amos Hochstein Says Israel-Hezbollah Ceasefire ‘Within Our Grasp’
Israel-Hezbollah
US Agent Amos Hochstein Says Israel-Hezbollah Ceasefire ‘Within Our Grasp’
Top Biden administration official holds talks in Beirut hours after Israeli strikes target central Beirut.
US envoy Amos Hochstein says there is a “real opportunity” to end the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel as he visits Lebanon to discuss a ceasefire.
Hochstein made the comments in Beirut on Tuesday after what he described as “extremely productive discussions” with Nabih Berri, the Speaker of Lebanon’s parliament, who has been endorsed by Hezbollah to mediate a deal.
“This is a moment of direction. I’m here in Beirut to work toward that decision, but ultimately, it is up to the parties to reach a resolution to this conflict. It is now within our grasp,” he said.
The administration of US President Joe Biden is making a final push for a ceasefire as fighting between Hezbollah and the Israeli military has intensified.
“As the window of opportunity is now open, I hope the next few days will yield a firm decision,” Hochstein said, though he declined to take questions from reporters about the discussions, explaining that he didn’t want to “negotiate this in public.”
“I am focused on doing my best to work with Lebanon’s and Israel’s governments to finalize everything,” he added.
Berri told the pan-Arab newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat on Tuesday that the deal was “good in principle,” but some details, including technical aspects, still needed to be worked out.
He said Hochstein would address these details before traveling to Israel and that Lebanon viewed the US as the guarantor of the Israeli position.
Meanwhile, Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen confirmed at a meeting on Tuesday that “discussions are ongoing regarding a potential arrangement with Lebanon.”
However, he emphasized that Israel would agree to a proposal only if all of its demands are met, including pushing Hezbollah away from the Israel-Lebanon border.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Monday, vowed to continue to “systematically work” against Hezbollah, even if a ceasefire is reached.
“This is a nonstarter for Lebanon. They consider this an infringement of the country’s sovereignty,” Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr reported from Beirut.
US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Monday that Washington had shared proposals with both Israel-Hezbollah, and both had responded to the arrangement.
The US is pushing for the “full implementation” of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which was adopted after the last Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006, Miller said. Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire
The resolution calls for Hezbollah to withdraw north of the Litani River, about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the border between Lebanon and Israel. It also requires Israeli forces to withdraw from Lebanese territory, and the Lebanese army to deploy in the country’s south alongside UN peacekeepers.
An aide to Berri told Reuters on Monday that both the Lebanese government and Hezbollah had agreed to the US proposal submitted in writing last week.
During a visit to Beirut in October, Hochstein expressed that commitments to the UN resolution had been insufficient, as it had not been fully implemented since its adoption more than a decade ago. He called for a new enforcement mechanism to be established.
“Statements from Lebanese authorities suggest cautious optimism, but in reality, there are major sticking points, especially regarding a Western-led committee that the US wants to establish to oversee the implementation of UN Resolution 1701. This is not accepted by Lebanon,” Khodr reported.
Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire
On Tuesday, emergency workers were still recovering bodies from the rubble following the latest Israeli airstrike on central Beirut, which killed at least five people. Hezbollah, in turn, launched a rocket at Tel Aviv, injuring seven people.
“These attacks—as well as Israel’s ongoing ground offensive in southern Lebanon and the continued rocket fire from Hezbollah—are contributing to growing skepticism about the prospects for a genuine ceasefire,” Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem reported from Beirut.
At the same time, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said that four Ghanaian peacekeepers were injured when a rocket, likely fired by “non-state actors,” hit their base in southern Lebanon.
UNIFIL also reported that peacekeepers and facilities were targeted in three separate incidents on Tuesday.
In a sign of divisions within the mission’s solidarity, a UNIFIL spokesperson confirmed that Argentina had withdrawn its three personnel from the peacekeeping force, though the reason for their departure was not immediately clear. Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire
At least 3,544 people have been killed and 15,036 injured in Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon since the Gaza conflict began in October last year.
Israel’s war in Gaza has killed at least 43,972 Palestinians and injured 104,008 since October 7, 2023.
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