US envoy says Israel-Hizbollah truce is 'within our grasp'
- 2 hours ago
A United States envoy said an agreement to end the Israel-Hizbollah war is "within our grasp” after talks in Lebanon on Tuesday.
Amos Hochstein, the Biden administration’s pointman on Israel and Lebanon, arrived as Hizbollah’s allies in the Lebanese government said the group had responded positively to the proposal, which would entail both its fighters and Israeli ground forces withdrawing from a UN buffer zone in southern Lebanon.
The buffer zone would be policed by thousands of additional UN peacekeepers and Lebanese troops. Israel has called for a stronger enforcement mechanism, potentially including the ability to conduct military operations against any Hizbollah threats, something Lebanon is likely to oppose.
An Israeli airstrike on Tuesday hit a Lebanese army base in the southern town of Sarafand, killing three soldiers, the army said -- the second deadly strike on Lebanese soldiers in as many days. The Israeli military did not immediately comment. At least 41 soldiers have been killed by Israeli bombardment the past month, according to the Lebanese army.
Hochstein said he held "very constructive talks” with Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, an ally of Hizbollah who is mediating on the group’s behalf.
"Specifically today, we have continued to significantly narrow the gaps,” the envoy told reporters after the two-hour meeting. "It’s ultimately the decisions of the parties to reach a conclusion to this conflict. ... It is now within our grasp.”
Berri said the "situation is good in principle,” although some technical details remain unresolved. The Lebanese side was waiting to hear the results of Hochstein's talks with Israeli officials, he told the Asharq al-Awsat newspaper.
The United Nations humanitarian office says virtually no food or humanitarian aid has been delivered to northernmost Gaza for more than 40 days because of the Israeli military's siege there.
Associated Press
