(MENAFN – The Jordan Times) BEIRUT – US Special Envoy Amos Hochstein on Tuesday called for an “urgent” de-escalation of cross-border firefights between Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Israeli forces that have escalated since the start of the Gaza war.
“The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has gone on long enough,” the presidential envoy said during a visit to Beirut.
“A swift and diplomatic resolution is in everyone’s interest, is achievable and is urgent.”
The powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, an ally of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, stepped up attacks in northern Israel last week after one of its senior commanders was killed in an Israeli attack.
Coinciding with the envoy’s visit and what Hezbollah called “Israeli war threats against Lebanon,” the Iranian-backed group released a more than nine-minute video showing drone footage purportedly taken by Hezbollah over northern Israel, including the city of Haifa and parts of its port.
The video, which AFP could not immediately verify independently, pinpoints what Hezbollah claims are Israeli military, defense and energy facilities, as well as civilian and military infrastructure.
Hochstein met with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a key ally of Hezbollah, the day after he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
“Chairman Berry and I had a very good discussion,” Hochstein said.
“We also discussed the current security and political situation in Lebanon, as well as the agreement currently being negotiated regarding the Gaza Strip, which also provides an opportunity to end the conflict across the Blue Line,” he added, referring to the Israeli-Lebanese border.
U.S. President Joe Biden outlined a ceasefire proposal last month, which Hochstein said would ultimately lead to “an end to the conflict in Gaza.”
“Decisive moment”
“A ceasefire in Gaza, or an alternative diplomatic solution, could also end the conflict across the Blue Line,” the envoy added, saying it would also allow displaced people to return to southern Lebanon and northern Israel.
“This is a serious time, a defining moment,” Hochstein said later after meeting Prime Minister Najib Mikati, describing the meeting as “fantastic.”
“We are working together to find a way forward that can prevent further escalation of tensions,” he added.
“What is needed is an end to Israel’s ongoing aggression against Lebanon and the restoration of peace and stability on its southern border,” Mikati said.
In a statement from his office, Mikati said “the continuing Israeli threat” would not deter Lebanon from pursuing peace.
Hochstein also met with Lebanese Army Commander Joseph Aoun.
During the US envoy’s visit, Hezbollah declared its second attack in days, saying it had targeted Israeli tanks with “attack drones.”
Israeli attacks continue in Lebanon’s southern border region, killing a Shiite Muslim militant on Monday.
The Lebanese state news agency also reported that an “enemy drone” targeted a car in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah said last week that it had carried out more than 2,100 military operations against Israel since Oct. 8, the day after the Hamas attack that sparked the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
The Lebanese group has long argued that only an end to the Gaza war can halt the cross-border attacks it is waging in support of Hamas and its residents in the Gaza Strip.
The violence has left at least 473 people dead in Lebanon, mostly combatants but also 92 civilians, according to an AFP tally.
Israeli authorities said at least 15 soldiers and 11 civilians were killed in the north of the country.
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