A top U.S. diplomat tasked with quelling tensions between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has arrived in Israel for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top leaders. Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser to President Joe Biden, arrived Monday at a time of heightened tensions between Israel and Hezbollah. Few details were made public about the visit, which was announced by Netanyahu’s office.
Quick Read
- A top U.S. diplomat, Amos Hochstein, arrived in Israel for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other leaders to address tensions with Hezbollah.
- The visit occurs amidst heightened tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, following ongoing exchanges of fire since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7.
- On Monday, Israel’s military reported killing a Hezbollah member in southern Lebanon, identified as Mohammed Ayoub, involved in planning attacks against Israel.
- Hochstein’s visit includes a scheduled trip to Lebanon on Tuesday, aiming to prevent escalation into a full-blown war.
- Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel have paused since Saturday night, possibly due to the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha.
- The conflict has resulted in over 400 deaths in Lebanon, primarily Hezbollah fighters, and 85 casualties on the Israeli side, including soldiers and civilians.
The Associated Press has the story:
A top US official arrives in Israel for talks on calming tensions with Lebanon’s Hezbollah
Newslooks- JERUSALEM — (AP)
A top U.S. diplomat tasked with quelling tensions between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has arrived in Israel for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top leaders.
Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser to President Joe Biden, arrived Monday at a time of heightened tensions between Israel and Hezbollah. Few details were made public about the visit, which was announced by Netanyahu’s office.
Also Monday, Israel’s military said it killed a member of the Hezbollah militant group in a strike southern Lebanon. Hezbollah has not claimed any attack on northern Israel since Saturday night.
The ongoing fighting has raised concerns that tensions could escalate into a full-blown war. Hochstein is expected to travel to Lebanon on Tuesday
The Iran-backed militant group began attacking Israel almost immediately after the Israel-Hamas war erupted on Oct. 7, with daily exchanges of fire since. In recent weeks, the exchanges have intensified, sparking fires that have burned trees and grassland on both sides of the border.
Israel killed one of Hezbollah’s top commanders in south Lebanon last week, sparking a huge barrage of rocket fire from the militant group toward Israel.
Israel and Hezbollah fought a month-long war in 2006 that ended in a stalemate. Hezbollah is the Arab world’s most significant paramilitary force with a robust internal structure as well as a sizeable arsenal. It seeks to exert pressure in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas during elusive negotiations with Israel over a cease-fire in Gaza.
Israeli drone strike kills Hezbollah member, Lebanon’s state media says
BEIRUT — A member of the Hezbollah militant group was killed by an Israeli drone strike on a car southern Lebanon, the country’s state-run National News Agency reported.
The airstrike came as Hezbollah has not claimed any attack on northern Israel since Saturday night, apparently because of the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha that began Sunday morning.
The drop in Hezbollah attacks also came shortly before a visit to the region by a top U.S. official for talks on calming tensions on the border. Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser to U.S. President Joe Biden, arrived in Israel Monday and is set to meet with Lebanese officials in Beirut on Tuesday. He has made several trips to the region in recent months.
Hezbollah issued a statement later Monday identifying the member killed in the drone strike near the village of Chehabiyeh as Mohammed Ayoub.
The Israeli military said Ayoub was a key operative in Hezbollah’s rocket and missile department in the group’s Nasr Unit, which is active along the border. It said Ayoub was involved in recent months in promoting and planning attacks from southern Lebanon against Israel.
Israel said it killed Ayoub as part of its activities “to impede Hezbollah’s military build-up in terms of weaponry and its stockpiling of weapons” that would be used against Israel.
After the Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza broke out in October, the Lebanese-Israeli border has witnessed almost daily exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israeli troops. Hezbollah says it will only stop fighting when Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip ends.
Since Oct. 8., more than 400 people have been killed in Lebanon — most of them Hezbollah fighters but also more than 70 civilians and non-combatants. On the Israeli side, at least 15 soldiers and 10 civilians have been killed.
