US Ambassador Amos Hochstein arrives in Lebanon for ceasefire talks | Israel attacks Lebanon News

A top Biden administration official visited Beirut hours after Israeli forces stormed the center of the Lebanese capital.

The United States’ top diplomat is visiting Lebanon for talks on a proposed cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah as the two sides continue to trade.

Amos Hochstein arrived in Beirut on Tuesday after Hezbollah and the Lebanese government responded to the document “in a positive way,” but “have some comments about the content”, Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr reported from the Lebanese capital.

US President Joe Biden’s administration is making a last-ditch effort to close the deal as the war between Hezbollah and the Israeli army escalates.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday pledged to continue “systematically operating” against Hezbollah even if a ceasefire agreement is reached.

“This is not a game for Lebanon. They see this as a violation of the country’s sovereignty,” said Khodr.

The assistant speaker of the Lebanese parliament, Nabih Berri, who has been authorized by the Iran-aligned group to negotiate – told Reuters on Monday that both the Lebanese government and Hezbollah had agreed to the final US proposal. a week.

He refused to reveal the views expressed by Lebanon on this draft but said that it was presented in accordance with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which was adopted following the last war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006.

The decision calls for Hezbollah to retreat north of the Litani River – about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the border separating Lebanon and Israel, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanese soil and the deployment of the Lebanese army in the south of the country. and United Nations peacekeepers.

According to Khodr: “Lebanon’s message is – we are committed to 1701, nothing else.”

During his visit to Beirut in October, Hochstein said that commitment to the UN resolution is not enough since it failed to be implemented since it was adopted 18 years ago. He called for the creation of a new way to enforce the law.

“The statements we hear from Lebanese officials are that there is strong hope, but the reality is that there are major sticking points, especially regarding the committee led by the West that the US wants to create to guide the implementation of UN Resolution 1701 – this is not accepted by Lebanon,” said Khodr.

On Tuesday, emergency workers were still pulling bodies from the rubble after the latest attack by Israeli forces in central Beirut that killed at least five people. Meanwhile, Hezbollah fired a missile at Tel Aviv, injuring seven people.

“This attack – along with Israel’s ongoing offensive on the ground in southern Lebanon and continued rocket fire from Hezbollah – adds to doubts about the prospects for a real end to the war,” said Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem, reporting from Beirut.

At least 3,516 people have been killed and 14,929 injured in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since the Gaza war began last October.

Israel’s war in Gaza has killed at least 43,922 Palestinians and injured 103,898 as of October 7, 2023.