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US envoy Amos Hochstein lands in Beirut for ceasefire talks

On Monday, it was reported that Lebanon and Hezbollah have agreed to a US proposal for a ceasefire with Israel.

By REUTERS, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Updated: NOVEMBER 19, 2024 11:01
 U.S. Special Envoy Amos Hochstein meets with Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati [not pictured] in Beirut, Lebanon November 7, 2023 (photo credit: REUTERS/MOHAMED AZAKIR)
U.S. Special Envoy Amos Hochstein meets with Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati [not pictured] in Beirut, Lebanon November 7, 2023
(photo credit: REUTERS/MOHAMED AZAKIR)

US envoy Amos Hochstein landed in Beirut on Tuesday for talks with officials regarding a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, Lebanon’s state news agency NNA said on Tuesday, hours after a proposal drafted by Washington received a nod from the Iran-backed terror group.

On Monday, it was reported that Lebanon and Hezbollah have agreed to a US proposal for a ceasefire with Israel with some comments on the content. A top Lebanese official described the effort as the most serious yet to end the fighting.

Ali Hassan Khalil, an aide to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, said Lebanon had delivered its written response to the US ambassador in Lebanon.

“Lebanon presented its comments on the paper in a positive atmosphere,” Khalil said, declining to give further details. “All the comments that we presented affirm the precise adherence to (UN) Resolution 1701 with all its provisions,” he said, referring to the terms that ended the Second Lebanon War.

Members of Hezbollah attend the funeral of Taleb Abdallah, also known as Abu Taleb, a senior field commander of Hezbollah who was killed by what security forces say was an Israel strike in Beirut’s southern suburbs, Lebanon June 12, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/MOHAMED AZAKIR)

Resolution 1701

Its terms require Hezbollah to have no armed presence in the area between the Lebanese-Israeli border and the Litani River, which runs some 30 km (20 miles) north of the frontier. However, there is no means by which to assess compliance with such terms. 

The US and Israel wish to establish an enforcement mechanism. 

Also, on Tuesday, the United Nations Security Council is set to hear a report on compliance with Resolution 1701.

Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.