US envoy heads to Israel after progress on Hezbollah ceasefire

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US envoy heads to ******* after progress on Hezbollah ceasefire

Reuters

Amos Hochstein (L) held talks with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (R) for a second day in Beirut

A US envoy has arrived in ******* to continue negotiations on a ceasefire with Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, after reporting “additional progress” during a second day of talks in Beirut.

Amos Hochstein, who has led the Biden administration’s efforts to end more than one year of conflict, was expected to meet ******** Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday amid cautious optimism in Lebanon.

In what was seen as a positive development, he returned to Beirut on Tuesday after the Lebanese government and Hezbollah accepted a US-drafted proposal, although with some comments. He unexpectedly extended his visit by a day for further discussions.

After meeting Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who has Hezbollah’s support to negotiate, Hochstein said he would go to ******* “to try to bring this to a close if we can”.

Details of the ceasefire proposal remained unclear, but some of the earlier differences included the formation of a supervision mechanism and *******’s demand to be able to strike Lebanon if a deal was violated, which had been rejected by Lebanon.

Addressing foreign ambassadors in Jerusalem, ******** Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that, in any agreement, ******* “will have to maintain our freedom to act if there will be violations”, but he did not give details about what that would entail.

Reuters

The Lebanese army said three of its soldiers were ******* in an ******** strike on their position in the southern town of Sarafand on Tuesday

Since the conflict intensified in late September, Lebanese authorities have said any deal should be based on the ******* Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Hezbollah and *******.

The resolution includes the removal of Hezbollah’s fighters and weapons in areas between the Blue Line – the unofficial frontier between Lebanon and ******* – and the Litani river, about 30km (20 miles) from the boundary with *******.

******* says that was never fully respected, while Lebanon says ******* has violated the resolution by carrying out military flights over the country.

A potential deal would likely establish a timeline for the withdrawal of ******** forces from the south of Lebanon and include the deployment there of thousands of additional troops of the Lebanese army.

But questions remain about how the Lebanese troops would operate against Hezbollah, which is heavily armed and backed by Iran, amid fears this could exacerbate sectarian tensions.

*******’s stated goal in its war against Hezbollah is to allow the return of about 60,000 residents who have been displaced from communities in the country’s north because of the group’s attacks.

In Lebanon, the conflict has ******* more than 3,500 people, forced more than one million from their homes, Lebanese authorities say. It has also caused an estimated $8.5bn (£6.7bn) in economic damages and losses, according to the World Bank.

Reuters

Rockets fired by Hezbollah damaged an apartment block in the northern ******** town of Kiryat Shmona on Wednesday

Speaking in a pre-recorded televised speech, Hezbollah’s Secretary General Naim Qassem said the group had received the US proposal, clarified its reservations, and that it was allowing the talks to go ahead to see if they produced any results.

Qassem, whose speech was broadcast shortly after Hochstein made his comments, said the conditions for a deal were a complete cessation of hostilities and the preservation of Lebanon’s sovereignty, and that Hezbollah was ready for a ******.

******** air strikes have destroyed large parts of Hezbollah’s infrastructure and ******* many of its leaders, including long-time chief Hassan Nasrallah.

But after the initial shock, the group has reorganised itself. It continues to carry out daily attacks on *******, although not with the same intensity, and confront invading ******** soldiers in Lebanon’s south.

Amid the negotiations, ******* has stepped up its air campaign across Lebanon but, after three consecutive days of strikes on Beirut, there were no attacks on the capital during Hochstein’s visit.

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