BEIRUT: The US and other mediators are ramping up efforts to halt the wars in Lebanon and Gaza, circulating new proposals to wind down the regional conflict during the Biden administration’s final months. Negotiations on both fronts have been stalled for months and none of the warring parties have shown any sign of backing down from their demands.
Senior White House officials Brett McGurk and Amos Hochstein will visit Israel Thursday for talks on possible ceasefires, and release of hostages held by Hamas, according to a US official. The official also said CIA director Bill Burns was headed to Egypt on Thursday to discuss those efforts.
A proposal to end the Israel-Hezbollah war calls for a two-month ceasefire during which Israeli forces will withdraw from Lebanon and Hezbollah would end its armed presence along the country’s southern border, two other officials said. But Israel is unlikely to trust UN peacekeepers and Lebanese troops to keep Hezbollah out of a reestablished buffer zone in Lebanon. It wants freedom to strike the militants if needed. Lebanese officials want a complete withdrawal.
A Lebanese official said the two-month period would be used to finalise full implementation of UNSC resolution 1701, which ended the 34-day Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006.
Separately, the US, Egypt and Qatar have proposed a four-week ceasefire in Gaza during which Hamas would release up to 10 hostages. But Hamas appears unwilling to release hostages without securing a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Hezbollah’s new leader Naim Kassem said Wednesday the group will not “beg” for a ceasefire. “If the Israelis decide to stop the aggression, we say we accept, but according to conditions we see as suitable,” he said in a televised address.
Israel has not publicly commented on the proposal to end their latest war. The latest efforts come as Israel’s operation against Hezbollah continues to expand. Its army launched heavy airstrikes Wednesday on Baalbek, famed for its Roman temples, and nearby villages. Israel also pummeled the Gaza Strip with new bombardments that killed at least 30 people Wednesday.
