BEIRUT: The United States said on Monday it wants the Israel-Hezbollah conflict to end “as soon as possible”, as Washington pressed for the enforcement of a United Nations resolution that required Hezbollah to withdraw from south Lebanon.
US envoy Amos Hochstein held talks in Beirut with Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a key Hezbollah ally, as part of efforts to bring an end to the nearly month-long conflict that has killed over 1,470 people in Lebanon.
Hochstein underscored that linking Lebanon’s future to broader regional conflicts is not in the best interest of the Lebanese people, responding to Hezbollah’s demand that any ceasefire in Lebanon be tied to a resolution of the Gaza conflict.
“Tying Lebanon’s future to other conflicts in the region was not and is not in the interest of the Lebanese people,” Hochstein said.
The US envoy also stressed that the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, should serve as the foundation for a new ceasefire.
The resolution called for the withdrawal of Hezbollah from areas south of Lebanon’s Litani River, leaving control to the Lebanese army and the UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL. However, Hochstein acknowledged that little had been done to implement the resolution over the years.
“The commitment that we have is to resolve this conflict based on 1701,” Hochstein said, but added that mere promises from both sides to uphold the resolution would not be enough. “Resolution 1701 was successful at ending the war in 2006, but we must be honest that no one did anything to implement it,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati last week expressed his government’s readiness to bolster the army’s presence in southern Lebanon should a ceasefire be reached. Mikati outlined plans to recruit an additional 1,500 troops and mobilize soldiers from other regions once a ceasefire is agreed upon.
In recent weeks, Israel has expanded its military operations in Lebanon. Hezbollah has pledged to continue its fight against Israel until a ceasefire is established in Gaza.
On Monday, heavy clashes erupted in southern Lebanon, with Lebanon’s National News Agency reporting Israeli air strikes targeting Hezbollah-linked sites. Israeli forces struck Al-Qard Al-Hassan, a financial institution accused of funding Hezbollah’s activities, in the cities of Nabatiyeh and Tyre.
Meanwhile, Israel has continued the bombing campaign in Gaza. Since October 7, 2023, Israel has launched a relentless bombardment campaign in Gaza killing at least 42,603 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to reliable health ministry data from the territory.
