U.S. envoys Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk will arrive on Thursday as efforts to secure a cease-fire deal in Lebanon, advance. Hochstein was in the region last week and will now return as both sides show serious intentions to finalize a deal.
Israeli officials said an agreement in Lebanon is tied to the discussions held between CIA chief William Barns and Egyptian and Qatari mediators attempting to reach a hostage release and cease-fire deal for Gaza.
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U.S. special envoy Amos Hochstein with acting Lebanese prime minister Najib Mikati
(Photo: Anwar Amro/ AFP)
Officials in Jerusalem said that some of Israel's conditions could prove difficult for Lebanon to accept, including the demand that the IDF be able to operate freely in South Lebanon to ensure compliance with the terms agreed.
Israel insists that if the UNIFIL force is unable to enforce the deal, the IDF be able to take action to ensure the safety of the residents in the north, after the peacekeepers failed to enforce UN resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War and allowed Hezbollah terrorists to return to the border with Israel and build fortifications there in advance of their planned invasion of the Galilee.
Israel also demands that the Lebanon army complete the destruction of all Hezbollah infrastructure in South Lebanon, after the IDF withdraws, and ensures no members of the terror group remain south of the Litani River. Jerusalem also demands that measures be in place to prevent Hezbollah from re-arming with weapons smuggled across Lebanon's border with Syria, provided by Iran.
Hezbollah fortifications in preparation of an invasion of the Galilee
(IDF)
The Hezbollah-affiliated Al Khbar newspaper published on Tuesday, the demands of the terror group for the cease-fire including maintaining the link between the war with Israel and Hamas's war in Gaza.
"Hezbollah hopes all Lebanese understand that disarming is not an option," the paper wrote. Hezbollah also rejects changing the makeup of UNIFIL troops except for the removal of Germans "because they are partners with the enemy." Israel has asked that its European allies dedicate troops to the peacekeeping mission.
"Israel wants to continue the war," Hezbollah officials told the paper. "We must be prepared for a prolonged fight." The terror group also said they were not affected by the wave of assassinations of leaders.
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