US envoy Amos Hochstein arrives in Lebanon for ceasefire talks

Top Biden administration official visits Beirut hours after the Israeli military strikes the centre of the Lebanese capital.

A senior United States envoy is visiting Lebanon for talks on a draft ceasefire proposal between Israel and Hezbollah as both sides continue to trade fire.

Amos Hochstein landed in Beirut on Tuesday after Hezbollah and the Lebanese government reacted to the text “in a positive way,” but have “some comments on the content”, Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr reported from the Lebanese capital.

The administration of US President Joe Biden is making a last-ditch attempt for a truce as fighting between Hezbollah and the Israeli military has escalated.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday pledged to continue to “systematically operate” against Hezbollah even if a ceasefire deal is reached.

“This is a nonstarter for Lebanon. They see this as a violation of the country’s sovereignty,” Khodr said.

An aide to the Lebanese parliament’s speaker, Nabih Berri, who has been endorsed by the Iran-aligned group to negotiate – told the Reuters news agency on Monday that both the Lebanese government and Hezbollah have agreed to the US proposal that was submitted in writing last week.

He declined to outline the comments made by Lebanon on the draft but said they were presented in line with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which was adopted following the last Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006.

The resolution calls on Hezbollah to pull back north of the Litani River – about 30km (18.6 miles) from the demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanese soil and the deployment of the Lebanese army in the south of the country alongside United Nations peacekeepers.

According to Khodr: “Lebanon’s message is – we are committed to 1701, nothing more.”

During a visit to Beirut in October, Hochstein said commitments to the UN resolution were not enough as it failed to be implemented since its adoption 18 years ago. He called instead for a new enforcement mechanism to be set up.

“Statements we hear from Lebanese officials is that there is cautious optimism, but the reality is that there are major sticking points, especially concerning a Western-led committee that the US wants to create to oversee the implementation of UN Resolution 1701 – this is not accepted by Lebanon,” Khodr said.

On Tuesday, emergency workers were still recovering bodies from the rubble after the Israeli military’s latest attack on central Beirut that killed at least five people. Hezbollah, meanwhile, launched a missile at Tel Aviv, wounding seven people.

“These attacks – as well as Israel’s ongoing ground offensive in southern Lebanon and the continued rocket fire from Hezbollah – are adding to scepticism of the prospects of a real ceasefire,” said Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem, reporting from Beirut.

At least 3,516 people have been killed and 14,929 wounded in Israeli attacks in Lebanon since the Gaza war began last October.

Israel’s war in Gaza has killed at least 43,922 Palestinians and wounded 103,898 since October 7, 2023.