U.S. Envoys Visit Israel to Address Lebanon Conflict

Senior U.S. officials are set to meet with Israeli counterparts on Thursday to discuss a potential resolution to the ongoing conflict in Lebanon and bolster Israel’s northern border against Hezbollah attacks.

The visit comes as Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, has rejected separate ceasefire proposals amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes in Gaza.

With the U.S. presidential election less than a week away, envoys Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk are expected in Israel as Israeli forces intensify their military operations against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati expressed hope for a ceasefire “in the coming hours or days,” while Hezbollah’s new leader, Naim Qassem, indicated the group might accept a truce under specific conditions.

Israeli media reports, citing government sources, suggest that the U.S. proposal includes a plan for Hezbollah to pull back approximately 20 miles (30 kilometers) from the border, north of the Litani River. This arrangement would see Israeli forces withdraw from Lebanon, allowing the Lebanese army to take control of the border alongside UN peacekeepers.

Lebanon would be tasked with preventing Hezbollah from rearming with imported weapons, while Israel would retain its right to defend itself under international law.

In the meantime, diplomatic efforts are also focused on establishing a short pause in fighting in Gaza, where Israeli operations target remnants of Hamas following the group’s unprecedented attack on Israel over a year ago.

However, senior Hamas official Taher al-Nunu told AFP that the group rejected the idea of a temporary pause, proposed by U.S. and Qatari mediators. Nunu stated, “The idea of a temporary pause in the war, only to resume aggression later, is something we have already expressed our position on. Hamas supports a permanent end to the war, not a temporary one.”

Any resolution to stabilize Israel’s northern front is expected to take precedence over a ceasefire in Gaza. Last week, Israel’s chief of general staff, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, noted, “In the north, there’s a possibility of reaching a sharp conclusion.”

On Thursday, Israel continued its military offensive in Lebanon, with analysts suggesting that this approach may facilitate a deal. The Israeli military has called for evacuations in several areas of southern Lebanon, including the Rashidieh Palestinian refugee camp, following warnings that preceded deadly airstrikes.

Hezbollah appointed Qassem as its new leader on Tuesday after the assassination of his predecessor, Hassan Nasrallah, in a large-scale airstrike last month. In his inaugural speech, Qassem asserted that Hezbollah could withstand Israeli attacks for months but remained open to a negotiated truce if an appropriate offer were made. “If the Israelis decide that they want to stop the aggression, we say we accept, but under conditions that we see as appropriate and suitable,” he stated.

The conflict in Lebanon erupted late last month, nearly a year after Hezbollah began low-intensity cross-border fire in support of Hamas following its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The ongoing conflict has resulted in at least 1,754 casualties in Lebanon since September 23, according to an AFP tally of health ministry figures, though the actual number may be higher.

Israel has reported the loss of 37 soldiers in Lebanon since ground operations commenced on September 30. In Gaza, further strikes were confirmed overnight, with casualty figures yet to be reported. Hamas’s assault on Israel last year resulted in 1,206 deaths, primarily among civilians, while Israel’s response has led to the deaths of 43,163 Palestinians in Gaza, most of whom were civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry, considered reliable by the United Nations.