US Envoy Set To Visit Beirut as Israel Steps Up Offensive on Hezbollah
By The Media Line Staff
A senior US official tasked with brokering a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah is set to visit Beirut on Tuesday as Lebanon prepares to respond to a recent US truce proposal, sources in Lebanon reported.
The visit by White House envoy Amos Hochstein comes amid escalating Israeli strikes in Lebanon. On Sunday, Israeli airstrikes on two neighborhoods in Beirut killed six people, including at least one senior Hezbollah official, marking the first attacks on central areas of the capital in a month.
The latest US proposal was delivered last week to Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who has been authorized by Hezbollah to negotiate on Lebanon’s behalf. Lebanese media outlet Voice of Lebanon reported the anticipated visit, citing lawmaker Kassem Hashem, a member of Berri’s parliamentary bloc.
The proposed cease-fire is expected to hinge on the framework established by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. The resolution mandates the relocation of Hezbollah’s weapons and fighters north of the Litani River, approximately 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the Israeli border.
Negotiations face a significant obstacle: Israel insists on maintaining operational freedom in the event of Hezbollah violations, a condition that Lebanon has rejected.
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