US envoy threatens to withdraw from mediation between Israel, Lebanon

Hochstein informed Israel’s ambassador to the US, Michael Herzog, that if Tel Aviv fails to respond positively to the US cease-fire proposal with Lebanon, the US will pull out of the mediation process it is leading between the two sides, according to the broadcaster.

Last Tuesday, Hochstein visited Beirut for a two-day trip, during which he met with Lebanese officials before traveling to Israel for a visit lasting until Friday.

The US is reportedly seeking a cease-fire between the Lebanese Hezbollah group and Israel, which has the full backing of Washington in its aggression on the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has demanded as a condition for agreeing to a cease-fire the freedom to conduct military operations in southern Lebanon. This condition, presented a week ago, has already been rejected by Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who previously reviewed the US proposal.

On Wednesday evening, Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem said that Hezbollah had submitted its comments on the US proposal. He emphasized that the matter now hinges on Netanyahu’s seriousness in reaching an agreement.

Qassem reiterated Hezbollah’s principles in negotiations.

“We are negotiating under two conditions: first, the complete and comprehensive cessation of Israeli aggression, and second, the preservation of Lebanese sovereignty,” he said.

In a related development, Israel’s Channel 14 cited an unnamed senior Israeli official as saying that “Israel is on the verge of ending the war in Lebanon, which is expected to happen in the coming days”.

The official added that “the agreement will be signed in the presence of the Americans and will be temporary before transitioning to a permanent agreement with Lebanon.”

The report also indicated that Israeli forces will be redirected toward operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

The Israeli official further noted that halting the fighting in northern Israel would restore economic stability and reopen airspace for aviation.

Israel has escalated its airstrikes in Lebanon against what it claims are Hezbollah targets as part of year-long warfare with the Lebanese group since the start of the Gaza war last year.

More than 3,600 people have been killed in Israeli raids in Lebanon, with more than 15,300 injured and over a 1 million displaced since October last year, according to Lebanese health authorities.

Israel expanded the conflict by launching a ground assault into southern Lebanon on Oct. 1 this year.