BEIRUT (Reuters) -U.S. special envoy Amos Hochstein said on Monday in Beirut that the United States was working on a formula to end the conflict between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah for good, and that merely committing to a previous U.N. resolution would not be enough.
U.N. resolution 1701, which ended the last round of conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in 2006, calls for southern Lebanon to be free of any troops or weapons other than those of the Lebanese state.
The Iranian-backed Shi’ite movement did not end its presence, however.
Continued cross-border tensions culminated in Hezbollah missile attacks on northern Israel in support of the Palestinian militant group Hamas after it staged a bloody killing spree in Israel from Gaza just over a year ago. Israel began a large-scale onslaught on Hezbollah last month.
Hochstein, visiting Lebanon for the second time in two months, was holding talks with Lebanese officials in a new U.S. mediation push to bring peace to the Middle East after Israel killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar last week.
“Both sides simply committing to (U.N. resolution) 1701 is not enough,” Hochstein told a press conference.
While the resolution remained as a basis for ending the conflict, additional measures were needed to ensure it was implemented “fairly, accurately and transparently”.
“We are working with government of Lebanon, the state of Lebanon, as well as the government of Israel to get to a formula that brings an end to this conflict once and for all,” he said.
Israel’s assault on Hezbollah has raised fears of a wider regional conflict between Israel and Hezbollah’s patron, Iran.
After what he called a “very constructive” meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a close ally of Hezbollah who has been engaging in diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, Hochstein said:
“The United States wants to end this conflict absolutely as soon as possible. That is what President Biden wants, that is what we all are working towards.”
(Reporting by Timour Azhari, Nayera Abdallah and Tala Ramadan; Writing by Nayera Abdallah; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
