A US envoy heads to Beirut as ceasefire talks between Israel and Hezbollah gain momentum

CNN
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US envoy Amos Hochstein is expected in Beirut on Tuesday, according to two Lebanese official sources, in what is seen as a sign of progress in ceasefire negotiations over the deadly cross-border conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The news comes after Beirut responded “positively” to a US-backed proposal to stop the war between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Makati said. Speaking to news channel Al Araby TV on Monday, Makati said the Lebanese government had sought clarification on some “unclear points” in the ceasefire proposal, but that large parts of the draft agreement had been resolved.

Certain points would be “clarified” through “face-to-face” discussions with Hochstein, he added.

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson relayed the proposal to the Lebanese government Thursday evening through Nabih Berri, the speaker of parliament, a Lebanese official previously told CNN.

According to the official, Hezbollah assessed the proposal and submitted their response to Lebanese authorities on Sunday evening. The source described the response as largely “positive.”

A source familiar with the situation told CNN that negotiations on a diplomatic resolution are continuing, noting that Hochstein’s trip does not necessarily signal a deal is imminent.

The US-backed proposal seeks a cessation of hostilities for 60 days and is portrayed as the basis of a lasting ceasefire, according to the Lebanese official, adding that the terms fall within the parameters of UN Resolution 1701, which ended the relationship between Lebanon and Israel. 2006 war. The resolution stipulates that the only armed groups in the area south of the Litani River in Lebanon should be the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers.

The proposal also requires Israeli ground forces, which have been operating in southern Lebanon since late September, to withdraw from the country and calls for stricter enforcement of Resolution 1701, the Lebanese official said.

Both Israel and Lebanon have “responded” to the proposal, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Monday.

“We have shared proposals both with the government of Lebanon and the government of Israel. Both sides have responded to the proposals we have made,” he said at a press conference.

Miller would not say whether the US is optimistic about the prospects of reaching an agreement, but noted that “if you have a resolution in the interest of all relevant parties, we should be able to reach an agreement, and that is what we do.” going to try to do.”

“We will continue that process because we believe a diplomatic resolution is the key to stopping the fighting, protecting civilians and allowing civilians in both Israel and Lebanon to return to their homes.” , Miller said.

However, an Israeli source familiar with the talks doubted the likelihood of an imminent agreement, noting that while progress has been made, Hezbollah’s refusal to accept Israel’s demand for the right to attack Hezbollah targets to fall in case of violation of the ceasefire could jeopardize the process. . Without this clause, the source added, it is uncertain whether Netanyahu can obtain Cabinet approval for the deal.

The Israeli source added that Hochstein has not yet confirmed when he will arrive in the region.

Bezalel Smotrich, the far-right Israeli finance minister, said Monday that “full operational freedom” for the Israeli army in southern Lebanon is “a non-negotiable condition.”

“At the end of the war, we will have operational freedom in Gaza, and so we will also have operational freedom in Lebanon. We will not agree to a settlement that is not worth the paper it is written on,” he said. “We are changing the security paradigm and will not return to decades of concepts of containment and threats without response. This won’t happen again.”

In his interview with Al Araby TV, Mikati dismissed reports of demands to give Israeli military operational freedom in southern Lebanon as “speculation,” adding that he has not seen such a clause in the proposal.

Berri, who heads the Hezbollah-linked Amal Party and is an interlocutor in the talks, told Saudi newspaper Asharq Al Awsat on Friday that the proposal he received from the US does not mention Israeli military operational freedom in Lebanon, adding admits that the US knows that such a demand would be ‘unacceptable’.

The Lebanese official who spoke to CNN also said the proposal does not refer to Israel’s right to continue attacking Lebanon after a ceasefire.

The source also said that Hezbollah has agreed to separate its conflict with Israel from Israel’s war in Gaza. Ahead of Israel’s massive offensive in late September, the militant group had insisted it would only stop its near-daily attacks on Israel’s northernmost areas once a ceasefire was reached in Gaza.

According to several senior Lebanese officials, Hezbollah had initially agreed to delink the two conflicts the night before leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike in late September.

Mikati said his government is in contact with the team of newly-elected US President Donald Trump.

Another Lebanese source familiar with the ceasefire talks previously told CNN that President-elect Trump has endorsed Hochstein’s trajectory of ceasefire negotiations, increasing the chances of success .

Meanwhile, a senior US official told CNN there is “no substance” to reports that Israel will try to delay a deal. “The Israelis have confirmed to us that they are ready,” the source said.

A deal with Hezbollah would “send a signal to Hamas” that Israel and its partners will do their utmost to reach a deal that will return hostages held in Gaza, the US official said.

“If we have a Lebanon deal, we will come down like a ton of bricks on Hamas in an attempt to get a hostage deal,” the official said, adding that Israel must “turn this military success into a strategic success.” .”

The US official said the region was at a standoff because Hamas refused to sign a ceasefire deal that would return Israeli hostages, and Hezbollah had pledged to keep fighting until Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza ended.

Although the US is not aware of all of Israel’s military plans, the official said, Hezbollah’s demotion “helps” reach an agreement.

“To get a deal in Lebanon, Hezbollah must be put under pressure,” the US official said, adding that “Hezbollah cannot rebuild its vast military infrastructure” across the border with Israel.