As Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has voiced cautious optimism about a possible agreement, senior U.S. officials have returned to the Middle East to attempt to negotiate a truce between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Though it was unclear if any progress could be made before next week’s US presidential election, President Biden’s Middle East coordinator Brett McGurk and Amos Hochstein, who has spearheaded negotiations in the conflict with Hezbollah, are in Israel for talks with the Israeli government.
Israel has invaded areas close to the border and carried out extensive airstrikes throughout Lebanon since the crisis intensified five weeks ago.
The Lebanese health ministry reports that at least 2,200 people have died there, and 1.2 million displaced, mostly Shia Muslims, heightening sectarian tensions and adding pressure on public services that were already struggling after years of a severe economic crisis.
According to the Israeli government, it wants to improve border security and ensure the return of some 60,000 people who have been displaced due to Hezbollah’s drone, rocket, and missile attacks.
Israeli public television Kan reported Wednesday that it had obtained a draft deal for a 60-day truce, allegedly drafted by Washington and dated Saturday.
The Lebanese army would be stationed near the border, and Israel would remove its troops from Lebanon within the first week of the agreement. Hezbollah would withdraw its armed forces from the region during the break.
The goal is to clear the path for the full application of UN Resolution 1701, which put an end to the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, which lasted 34 days.
The passage, among other things, called for the removal of all armed groups, including Hezbollah, from the area south of the Litani River, 30km (20 miles) north of the border. Only the UN peacekeeping force known as Unifll and the Lebanese army would be allowed there.
Israel is reportedly seeking the right to strike Hezbollah if needed after the end of the war, as it fears that the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers will be unable to keep the group away from the border. However, this demand is likely to be rejected by Lebanese authorities, who believe there should be no changes to Resolution 1701. White House national security spokesperson Sean Savett stated that many reports and drafts circulating do not reflect the current state of negotiations.
Hezbollah, a powerful militia and political party supported by Iran, faces domestic pressure for a deal, particularly from critics who argue the group dragged Lebanon into a conflict not in the country’s interests. Israel’s bombardments have killed most of the Hezbollah leadership and caused extensive destruction in southern Lebanon, the eastern Bekaa Valley, and Beirut’s southern suburbs. The group started its campaign after Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October last year and has long said its attacks will continue unless there is a ceasefire in Gaza.
Israel launched heavy air strikes on the historic city of Baalbek, in the Bekaa Valley, in what could indicate an expansion of its military campaign against the group in a strategically important area near the border with Syria. It remains unclear if any agreement could be reached before the US presidential election on Tuesday, with reports suggesting the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is waiting the outcome of the vote before deciding. Violence continued on Thursday, with rocket attacks by Hezbollah killing seven in Israel and Israeli attacks killing six health workers in southern Lebanon.
(BBC)
