An Israel Hezbollah ceasefire? A senior U.S. mediator said on Tuesday there was a “real opportunity” to end the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah and that gaps were narrowing, signalling progress in Washington’s efforts to clinch a ceasefire.
White House envoy Amos Hochstein spoke in Beirut following talks with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a day after the Lebanese government and Iran-backed Hezbollah agreed to a U.S. ceasefire proposal, with some comments on the content.
“I came back because we have a real opportunity to bring this conflict to an end,” Hochstein told a press conference after the meeting. “It is now within our grasp. As the window is now, I hope the coming days yield a resolute decision.”
Hochstein’s mission marks a last-ditch attempt by the outgoing U.S. administration to clinch a ceasefire in Lebanon as diplomacy to end the war in Gaza appears totally adrift.
Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said on Tuesday “there are talks regarding an arrangement with Lebanon” but reiterated that Israel would agree only if all its demands were met, including pushing Hezbollah away from the border.
The diplomatic efforts coincide with an intensification of the war, with Israel stepping up its strikes on Beirut’s Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs and striking three times
in the capital itself in the last three days.
The conflict spiralled into all-out war in September when Israel went on the offensive, pounding wide areas of Lebanon with airstrikes, sending troops into the south, and killing many Hezbollah commanders including leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Hochstein has tried to broker a ceasefire several times over the last year.
Hezbollah has endorsed its long-time ally Berri as Lebanon’s negotiator. Hochstein flew to Beirut overnight after Lebanon delivered its written response to a U.S. ceasefire proposal
which Berri received last week from the U.S. ambassador.
Israel launched its offensive after almost a year of cross-border hostilities with Hezbollah, which opened fire in solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas after the group’s
Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel led to the start of the Gaza war.
Israel’s declared goal is to dismantle Hezbollah’s capabilities and secure the return of tens of thousands of Israelis evacuated from the north.
Cohen, speaking at a conference on Tuesday, said Israel would “make an arrangement only if all our demands are met”.
He said this meant pushing back Hezbollah, ensuring it cannot return and regain strength, Israelis being able to return safely to the north and Israeli forces having “full freedom of
action, not just in the event of an attack, but in the event they (Hezbollah) try to restore their strength.”
Lebanon has rejected Israel being granted freedom of action. Berri said last week the U.S. proposal did not mention this.
With Reuters inputs
