US special envoy Amos Hochstein started key talks on Tuesday with Lebanese officials aimed at de-escalating the violence at the Lebanese-Israeli border.
The US official will start his talks in the capital with Lebanese House Speaker Nabih Berri, a key ally of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement. He will then hold talks with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib.
According to a Lebanese government source, Hochstein, who visited Israel on Monday, was sent to the region on "an urgent unexpected visit" to contain the deteriorating situation between Israel and Hezbollah and prevent an all out war from breaking out in the area.
Israeli media reported on Tuesday that Benny Gantz, leader of the National Unity political alliance, told the US envoy on Monday that “time is running out” to reach any sort of diplomatic deal to reinstate calm along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon.
Gantz stressed to Hochstein that he is committed to “removing the threat Hezbollah poses to the citizens of northern Israel, regardless of developments on the war in Gaza,” his office said.
Last week, two Lebanon-based United Nations officials said they were "deeply concerned" about the recent escalation on the Israel-Lebanon border.
"The danger of miscalculation leading to a sudden and wider conflict is very real," said UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, and head of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Aroldo Lazaro in joint statement.
Hochstein has been trying to find a diplomatic solution between Israel and Hezbollah for months.
Since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip in October 2023, there have been daily clashes between the Israeli army, Hezbollah and allied groups in the border area between Israel and Lebanon.
