The Biden administration is making a final push to broker a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel as fighting between the two sides continues to escalate.
The "window" of opportunity has opened
Special envoy Hochstein arrived in Beirut on November 19 to meet with Nabih Berri, the speaker of the Lebanese parliament and also the person authorized by Hezbollah to negotiate on behalf of the Lebanese army, according to Al Jazeera. After the meeting, Hochstein told reporters that he saw a "real opportunity" to end the conflict. "This is a moment of decision. I am here to support that process, but ultimately it is a decision between the parties involved... Now that decision is in our hands," AFP quoted Hochstein as saying. The US official also met with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and General Joseph Aoun, commander of the Lebanese armed forces.
Lebanon, Hezbollah agree to ceasefire proposal with Israel
Berri told the Asharq al-Awsat daily that "in principle things are going well", adding that his team and US representatives still had "a few technical details" to sort out. Berri said Hochstein would sort these out before leaving for Israel, and Lebanon sees the US as a guarantor of Israel's position. AFP quoted an unnamed Western diplomat in Lebanon as confirming that the talks were progressing.
The scene of a Lebanese army military outpost after being hit by an Israeli attack on November 20.
Yesterday, Europe 1 radio quoted French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot as saying that the US-led effort had opened the door to a lasting ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel and he called on both sides to seize the precious opportunity. France and the US are the two countries leading negotiations between the two sides.
Israel and Hezbollah's Perspectives
On the same day, Mahmoud Qmati, an official of Hezbollah, stressed that any US-brokered ceasefire agreement must quickly end the fighting and preserve Lebanon's territorial sovereignty, according to Reuters. Speaking on Al-Manar TV, Qmati also said he was neither optimistic nor pessimistic about the prospect of a ceasefire.
Earlier, Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen also said that the Tel Aviv government is participating in negotiations regarding the agreement with the Lebanese side. However, he stressed that Israel will only agree when all of its demands are met, including pushing Hezbollah's presence 30-40 km away from the Lebanon-Israel border.
Despite the optimistic news from the US and Lebanon, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced earlier this week that the Israeli military would continue its military operations against Hezbollah regardless of whether a deal was reached. "We will be forced to ensure security in the north and systematically carry out military operations against Hezbollah attacks, even after the ceasefire, to prevent this force from rebuilding," Netanyahu said.
Fierce fighting continues
Late on November 19, Hezbollah announced that it had launched cruise missiles at targets in the town of Markaba near the border with Israel. Meanwhile, the Lebanese army said that one of its soldiers was killed in an Israeli attack in the south of the country yesterday. For its part, Israel accused Hezbollah of firing rockets at two UN peacekeeping bases in Lebanon on November 19, as well as shelling central and northern Israel, lightly injuring four people. The Israeli army also launched attacks on a series of targets in southern Lebanon.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/kich-ban-ngung-ban-giua-hezbollah-israel-185241120231502729.htm
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