Hochstein emphasizes that “there is a real opportunity” to end the conflict and affirms that “it depends on the parties” to close the pact.
MADRID, 19 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Amos Hochstein, special envoy of the United States, stated this Tuesday that a ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Shiite militia party Hezbollah “is within reach” and stressed that the conversations held during the day within the of an official visit to Lebanon have made it possible to “continue to iron out differences.”
“Since my last trip to Beirut a few weeks ago we have had very serious discussions in Lebanon and Israel,” he said in an appearance before the press after a meeting with the president of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Berri, a conversation that he described as “very constructive”.
“We have continued to iron out the differences through the discussions of recent weeks and specifically today we have reduced them significantly,” he said, before stating that he went to Beirut because “there is a real opportunity to put an end to this conflict.” .
Thus, he indicated that “it is time to make decisions.” “I am in Beirut to facilitate that decision, but in the end it is up to the parties to reach a conclusion to the conflict. It is within reach. The window is now and I hope that the next few days will lead to a decision,” argued Hochstein, who has not accepted questions to “not negotiate in public.”
Finally, he praised the “constructive” conversation with Berri and announced that he plans to meet with the Lebanese Prime Minister, Nayib Mikati. “I am committed to doing everything possible to work with the governments of Lebanon and Israel to close this conflict,” he concluded.
Hochstein has been carrying out mediation tasks for weeks to try to get the parties to reach a ceasefire agreement after more than a year of fighting, intensified by Israel’s decision to begin a new land invasion of the neighboring country on October 1.
Mikati himself assured on Monday that Beirut had given a “positive” response to the ceasefire proposal presented by the United States, although he stressed that there were still points to discuss ahead of Hochstein’s visit. “There are some things that are not clear and we want to clarify them so that there is no confusion in the future,” he said.
Israel unleashed a new invasion of Lebanon on October 1 after several weeks of intense bombing and attacks against the country, including the coordinated explosion of thousands of communication devices used by the Lebanese group, after more than eleven months of fighting with Hezbollah in the border area. Lebanon has reported more than 3,500 deaths since the outbreak of hostilities on October 8, 2023.
The resurgence in hostilities is part of the clashes that began more than a year ago, after Hezbollah attacked Israeli territory following the attacks carried out on October 7 by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and other Palestinian factions, which led to Israel to unleash a bloody offensive against the Gaza Strip, where more than 43,900 people have already died.