A U.S. envoy is due in Lebanon on Tuesday for talks on a ceasefire between Israel and
Hezbollah, with Beirut positive about Washington’s efforts to end the war but seeking changes to a proposal on how to monitor a truce, a senior Lebanese official said.
The trip by White House envoy Amos Hochstein, whose visit was flagged by several Lebanese sources but has yet to be confirmed by Washington, is expected to build on a U.S. ceasefire proposal submitted to Lebanon last week.
Washington’s ceasefire diplomacy has come back into focus as its ally Israel has stepped up its offensive. Israeli strikes in two Beirut neighbourhoods killed six people including
at least one senior Hezbollah official on Sunday, the first time Israel has struck central areas of the capital in more than five weeks.
World powers say a Lebanon ceasefire must be based on U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 which ended a 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. Its terms require the Iran-backed Hezbollah to move weapons and fighters north of the Litani river, about 30 km (20 miles) north of the Israeli border.
Israel has dealt Hezbollah big blows since launching an offensive against the group in September, killing its leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and pounding Lebanon with airstrikes.
Hezbollah has kept up rocket fire into northern Israel, where sirens sounded again on Monday.
Hezbollah has submitted notes on the U.S. ceasefire proposal to Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri that would not obstruct a truce, the senior Lebanese official said.
But Lebanon was opposed to a proposal to expand a ceasefire monitoring committee to include possibly Germany or Britain.
“If, for example, a Hezbollah facility appears, who will dismantle it?” the official said, adding: “The Lebanese side wants the (Lebanese) army to deal with this.”
Israel has long complained that Resolution 1701 was never implemented properly, noting the presence of Hezbollah fighters and weapons along the border. Lebanon says Israel violated it by regularly flying in its airspace.
A second Lebanese official said the U.S. proposal contained some points that have been agreed upon and others that need discussion with Hochstein on Tuesday. Both Lebanese officials spoke on condition of anonymity due to diplomatic sensitivities.
Lebanese Labour Minister Mustafa Bayram, who was named to cabinet by Hezbollah, said Berri told him the atmosphere was positive but cautioned that a deal was not yet done.
“Then attention will turn to the Israeli position: does it want a ceasefire … or to continue in its crimes,” Bayram said after the meeting, according to a statement from Berri’s office.
With Reuters inputs
