BEIRUT: US Special Envoy Amos Hochstein said on Monday in Beirut that the US was working on a formula to end the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah for good and that both sides merely committing to a previous UN resolution would not be enough.
UN 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.
Hochstein said: “Merely stating commitment is not enough. No one has done anything to implement it. The lack of enforcement contributed to the conflict we are facing today.”
The US envoy said that tying Lebanon’s future to other conflicts was not in the interest of the Lebanese people.
Hochstein, who met with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, said the “failure to implement Resolution 1701 is why this conflict continues and intensifies.”
He described his negotiations with the Lebanese side as “confidential.”
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit’s visit to Lebanon coincides with that of Hochstein.
“The situation is serious, and Israeli violence and the loss of life, as we see on the ground, is heartbreaking,” Aboul Gheit said after meeting with Lebanese officials.
He announced his rejection of “Israeli actions against UNIFIL,” adding: “Resolution 1701 is pivotal and must be implemented to the letter and as soon as possible, and we reject any foreign interference on Lebanese soil.”
Hochstein expressed sorrow for “the tragedies the Lebanese people are suffering,” noting that “despite multiple visits to Lebanon, we have not been able to contain the conflict.”
The US envoy recalled that he had warned months ago about the need to resolve matters and end the ongoing conflict, but the situation had spiraled out of control.
He affirmed that “the world will stand by Lebanon and its leaders if they make the tough and courageous choices needed at this time for the sake of the Lebanese people.”
He said: “We are committed to their interests and the interests of Lebanon.”
Hochstein stressed that the international community and Washington “are committed to rebuilding Lebanon and the Lebanese army and protecting Lebanon, its borders, and ports.”
He ruled out any discussion on amending the resolution, focusing only on its execution.
“Diplomatic efforts are still ongoing and serious, and we are working to reach a ceasefire in the coming period, supporting the full and comprehensive implementation of Resolution 1701,” he said.
“All parties must work toward understanding how to implement the resolution.”
Hochstein arrived amid a significant escalation of Israeli military operations late on Sunday and throughout Monday.
The Israeli assault destroyed numerous buildings in the southern suburbs of Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and the south, leading to the deaths and injuries of many people.
Hochstein’s arrival in Beirut was preceded by an information leak regarding Israeli demands that the US envoy was expected to present to the Lebanese side, which “may not be acceptable to Hezbollah.”
A source observing the developments said the proposals previously brought by Hochstein were no longer available today, as the suggestions had become more stringent.
An Israeli official told Axios that the Israeli demands included “allowing the army to engage in operations to ensure that Hezbollah does not rearm or rebuild military infrastructure in the border areas and permitting (Israel) to operate freely in Lebanese airspace.”
Hezbollah has authorized, through Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem, its ally Berri to undertake the necessary communications to organize a ceasefire before engaging in any further negotiations.
Prime Minister Mikati continued to reiterate his stance regarding Iran.
On Monday, he highlighted his objection to positions expressed by the Iranian foreign minister last week, which Mikati deemed as a form of “unacceptable Iranian guardianship over Lebanon.”
Mikati’s positions are not isolated from the rapidly evolving diplomatic activities in the region, with the visits of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Hochstein, and Aboul Gheit to Beirut ahead of the International Conference on Lebanon to be held in Paris.
Mikati said during an interview with Al Arabiya TV that he “informed the Iranian leadership of the need to reduce the sentiment toward Lebanon.”
The prime minister said he reviewed the interview that the Iranian minister gave to Le Figaro newspaper — in which Tehran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said his government was ready to negotiate the implementation of Resolution 1701 — and expressed his objection, stressing that the message to Iran was delivered.
He reaffirmed that “no one speaks on behalf of the Lebanese state.”
The ongoing stalemate between Hezbollah and Israel has led to a situation in which events on the ground determine the outcome. This resulted in the first clash between dozens of displaced people and members of the Internal Security Forces on Hamra Street in Beirut.
The clash arose due to the insistence of the displaced people to forcibly enter a privately owned apartment building and stay in it.
Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi expressed the ministry’s rejection of “any assault on public and private property.”
The number of displaced people from areas under Israeli attack — allegedly housing Hezbollah military bases and centers — has surpassed 1.2 million.
On Sunday night, hundreds of citizens, particularly in Beirut, fled their homes following Israeli warnings of targeting centers belonging to Al-Qard Al-Hassan, a Hezbollah-affiliated financial institution.
People remained on the streets until dawn, anticipating airstrikes that ultimately focused on southern Lebanon, Beirut’s southern suburbs, and the Bekaa Valley, targeting buildings housing offices of the party’s financial institution.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz acknowledged the “extensive Israeli attack launched by the army on Lebanon.”
He said: “Beirut is ablaze after the large-scale attack on Hezbollah’s financial infrastructure across Lebanon, where more than 15 buildings were bombed after warning residents to evacuate.
“Hezbollah has paid, and will pay, a heavy price for harming northern residents and firing at Israel.
“We will continue to strike the arm of the Iranian octopus until it collapses,” said the minister.
Footage from the border region showed unprecedented destruction amid the ongoing Israeli strikes.
Bulldozers and military teams were seen demolishing homes in Lebanese towns they had entered, surrounding entire neighborhoods with explosives and detonating them.
In response, Hezbollah continued targeting Israeli military sites, settlements, and gatherings.
Hezbollah said their targets included an artillery position in Odem, the Kiryat Shmona settlement, the Beit Hillel base and artillery position, a military gathering at the Malkia site, Camp 100 north of Ayelet HaShahar, and the Ma’alot-Tarshiha settlement, alongside repelling Israeli attacks on the border.
