US special envoy lands in Beirut to press for Israel-Hezbollah truce

U.S. special envoy Amos Hochstein arrived in Beirut on Tuesday to advance ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah terrorist organization.

“We have a real opportunity to end the conflict, and now is the moment to decide. We are committed to doing everything we can to work with Lebanon and Israel to end this conflict,” Hochstein said at a press conference.

He made the remarks after meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who represents Hezbollah as head of the Amal movement, at the second presidential palace in Ain El-Tineh.

President Joe Biden’s point man in the Land of the Cedars later met with Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and he was scheduled to meet with Lebanese Army Commander Gen. Joseph Aoun.

Mikati reportedly emphasized that Lebanon’s primary objectives are achieving a ceasefire and safeguarding its sovereignty. He also highlighted the need to implement international resolutions and bolster the Lebanese Armed Forces in the southern region of the country.

Lebanon delivered its written response to the latest U.S. proposal on Monday, according to Reuters.

According to Ali Hassan Khalil, an aide to Berri, the response included “comments” that were “presented in a positive atmosphere.”

He did not provide details on the nature of the comments, saying only that they “affirm the precise adherence to [U.N.] Resolution 1701 with all its provisions,” according to Reuters.

Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Lebanon War, stipulated that Hezbollah must disarm and retreat north of the Litani River, but was never enforced. The Litani lies some 20 miles from the Israel-Lebanon border.

Its enforcement, along with Israeli freedom of operation in Lebanon should Hezbollah violate the terms of a ceasefire agreement, are reportedly the key sticking points in the current negotiations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized during a speech in the Knesset plenum on Monday that Israel will not allow Hezbollah to “return to the state it was in on Oct. 6, 2023.”

“We will be required, in order to ensure our security in the north, to systematically carry out operations—not only against Hezbollah’s attacks, which could come. Even if there is a ceasefire, nobody can guarantee it will hold. So it’s not only our reaction, a preventive reaction, a reaction in the wake of attack but also the capacity to prevent Hezbollah from strengthening,” he said.

Hezbollah has launched some 16,000 rockets, missiles and drones from Lebanon at Israel since joining the war in support of Hamas on Oct. 8, 2023, a day after the Gaza-based terrorist group’s massacre in southern Israel. Over 60,000 residents of northern Israel remain internally displaced due to the ongoing rocket and drone attacks from Lebanon, which have caused widespread material damage and multiple deaths and injuries.

Seventy-six people in northern Israel have been killed by Hezbollah cross-border rocket, missile and drone attacks since the start of the war, including 31 soldiers and six foreign citizens, according to the latest data provided by the Prime Minister’s Office, updated on Sunday.

In addition, 729 people have been wounded, including 497 civilians and 232 soldiers. Of these, 29 civilians and 37 soldiers were severely injured; 63 civilians and 38 soldiers were moderately injured and 405 civilians and 157 soldiers were mildly injured.

Hezbollah’s leadership has been left in tatters following a series of assassinations by Israel, including of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut on Sept. 27. This was preceded by Israeli sabotage of Hezbollah communication devices that killed 39 people and wounded more than 3,400 members of the terror group.

Israel has been waging a devastating aerial campaign against Hezbollah throughout Lebanon, including its stronghold of Dahieh south of Beirut. According to Israeli estimates, the terror group has lost most of its arsenal to the ongoing strikes. Then-defense minister Yoav Gallant said in late October that Hezbollah is estimated to have lost over 80% of its long-range rockets since the start of the war.

Israel also continues to battle Hamas terrorists in Gaza. The terrorist group still holds 101 hostages in the Gaza Strip, 97 of whom were kidnapped on Oct. 7. Many of the captives are believed to be deceased.

G20 leaders gathered in Brazil’s seaside city of Rio de Janeiro for a summit put out a joint statement on Monday calling for “comprehensive” ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon.

The leaders of the world’s biggest economies called for U.S. proposals to end fighting in Gaza and return the hostages, and in Lebanon “that enables citizens to return safely to their homes on both sides of the Blue Line.”

The 13-point U.S. proposal presented to Lebanese officials on Nov. 14 includes a 60-day truce, during which Lebanon would redeploy its troops along the border.

The proposal also calls for Moscow to prevent Hezbollah from resupplying via Syrian land routes.

Hezbollah would retreat north of the Litani River, with the border area then being under control of the Lebanese Armed Forces, overseen by the United States and Britain.

Israeli officials are emphasizing however that the Israel Defense Forces must retain freedom of operation in Lebanon to thwart attempts by Hezbollah to violate the agreement and reestablish and rearm itself.

A senior Israeli diplomatic official told Israel Hayom on Saturday that the IDF will retain operational freedom to respond to any security threats from across the northern border, regardless of any diplomatic arrangements.

However, a source close to Hezbollah told the Washington Post that the group’s “condition for progress remains clear: Israel must be prohibited from conducting operations within Lebanese territory.”

Berri emphasized at the time that any ceasefire agreement must not include the ability for Israel to attack by land, sea or air, Channel 12 reported. “Otherwise, what’s the purpose of an agreement?” he remarked.

Another potential sticking point is Lebanon’s objections to the United Kingdom and Germany monitoring the implementation of U.N. Resolution 1701. They reportedly favor the United States and France.

If the ceasefire efforts fail, an Israeli military official told the Post that there are plans in the works to expand ground operations in Lebanon.

Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer discussed the proposal with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump during a visit to his Florida estate earlier this month, as well as with senior Biden administration officials in Washington. Dermer also traveled to Russia to discuss the ceasefire proposal.

Tehran is telling its Lebanese terrorist proxy Hezbollah that it supports ending the war against Israel amid the American push for a ceasefire agreement, The New York Times reported over the weekend.

Ali Larijani, senior adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, met with senior Lebanese officials in Beirut on Nov. 15 to discuss the matter.

Two Iranians affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps told the Times that Larijani conveyed messages to Hezbollah from Khamenei that he supported the end of the war and that the regime would assist with rebuilding the terror group’s forces and recovering from the war.