BEIRUT: White House envoy to the Middle East Amos Hochstein is due in Lebanon on Tuesday for talks on a ceasefire as the Israeli army continued to carry out violent airstrikes, causing massive destruction.
Airstrikes receded in Beirut and its southern suburbs but intensified in southern Lebanon.
Sunday saw intense attacks and assassinations in Beirut’s southern suburbs and neighborhoods.
Israeli media outlets reported Hochstein would arrive in Tel Aviv on Wednesday.
His visit comes as part of his previously disrupted efforts to reach a diplomatic solution to stop the expanded war, which has been ongoing for 60 days between the Israeli army and Hezbollah.
Lebanon has yet to confirm Hochstein’s visit to Beirut. Citing a Lebanese political source, Reuters reported that “Hochstein arrives in Beirut on Tuesday,” while Israel’s Channel 12 announced that “Hochstein arrives in Tel Aviv on Wednesday.”
Fares Gemayel, media advisor to the caretaker prime minister, said Najib Mikati’s schedule was still the same and had yet to be modified.
He told Arab News: “We were not informed of Hochstein’s visit, and just like you, we heard that he is coming and that he is meeting with Mikati and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, but nothing is confirmed.”
Following his meeting with Berri, caretaker Labor Minister Mustafa Bayram said Berri looped him in on the draft ceasefire proposal, adding that “the situation was positive,” but “all is well that ends well.”
Bayram, a Hezbollah minister, said that Berri — whom Hezbollah assigned to negotiate with the West — was waiting for Hochstein’s visit on Tuesday.
“He’s waiting to inform him of Lebanon’s positive stance in this regard, and therefore, all eyes will be on the Israeli stance, whether it wants to stop its aggression or continue with its war crimes witnessed live by people,” he added.
Bayram pointed out that the expansion of war was an Israeli decision, saying that “war crimes are not a sign of victory for the aggressor.”
He clarified: “Lebanon is committed to Resolution 1701 fully, including its mechanisms, so why do we want to put in place other mechanisms that would complicate the matter?”
Bayram emphasized that “there are points in the draft that were not even discussed because it’s impossible to accept them, including Israel’s right to act freely.”
He said no patriotic Lebanese would agree to such issues and waive their sovereignty.
He also stressed that Hezbollah “abides by Resolution 1701, which stipulates that Israel should stop its violations against Lebanon, so is it going to stop them?”
He added: “The resistance is a reaction and not an action. If the Israelis abide by the resolution, we can have a different discussion, especially since what the resistance owns is no longer linked to a 10 km geographical area.
“The resistance can fight anywhere, but it all comes down to whether or not the Israelis will abide by 1701.”
Bayram believes that “the more you concede to the Israelis, the more they ask and kill you.”
Hezbollah submitted to Berri its response to the US draft proposal based on Resolution 1701.
However, the response leaked to some media outlets and included comments proposing a return to how things were before the last war. According to previous Israeli officials’ statements, Israel rejects this.
The Lebanese side is seeking international and American guarantees regarding Israel’s commitment to the agreement, ensuring that Israel does not violate Resolution 1701 under any pretext to carry out operations in Lebanon.
Furthermore, Lebanon also demands that the monitoring committee for the implementation of Resolution 1701 remain limited to the US, France, Lebanon, Israel, and the UN without any expansion.
Hezbollah rejects “any expansion of the role of UNIFIL forces” and “firmly opposes any enhancement of the UNIFIL forces’ mandate,” emphasizing that “coordination between these forces and the Lebanese army must persist, and that UNIFIL should not operate in private areas without prior agreement with the army.”
Furthermore, Hezbollah calls for the “prompt return of displaced individuals, preventing Israel from establishing a border security zone, and the recognition of Lebanon’s entitlement to reconstruction without external interference.”
Additionally, they demand the release of Lebanese citizens detained by Israel during the recent confrontations.
Israeli opposition leader Benny Gantz, head of the State Camp party, stated on Monday that “the condition for any agreement with Lebanon is the absolute freedom of Israeli operations in response to any violation of the agreement.”
The Iranian Foreign Ministry stated on Monday that “the Lebanese are capable of determining their interests and making decisions regarding any initiative related to halting Israel’s crimes.”
It indicated that Tehran would spare no effort in assisting the Lebanese people.
Israel escalated its military actions against Hezbollah on Sunday, resuming targeted assassinations that included the killing of Hezbollah’s media relations officer Mohammed Afif, along with four of his associates — Hilal Tarmas, Moussa Haidar, Mahmoud Al-Sharqawi, and Hussein Ramadan — in an airstrike on Beirut.
Israel announced that Mahmoud Madi, head of operations for Hezbollah’s southern front, was also targeted in a separate airstrike on Beirut later that evening.
The southern front of Lebanon remained intense on Monday as Israeli soldiers attempted to reach Al-Bayada hill after passing through the town of Chamaa in the Tyre district.
They conducted extensive airstrikes to secure their movements, targeting the valleys with phosphorus shells.
Also on Monday, Hezbollah announced that its fighters targeted an Israeli army gathering south of the town of Khiam for the fourth time and another group with the Israeli army in the settlement of Kiryat Shmona.
Israeli media reported that “rocket debris fell in Goren in the Upper Galilee, causing damage to a house, a building, and vehicles during the rocket barrage on Kiryat Shmona.”
The Israeli army announced the destruction of dozens of rocket launch platforms and combat equipment in southern Lebanon.
Israeli media reported that over 1,450 rockets had been launched toward Israel since the onset of the conflict.
The Israeli army carried out a series of violent airstrikes targeting the areas of Tyre, Nabatieh, Iqlim Al-Tufah, and Jizzine, causing massive destruction.
A strike on the water facility building in Tyre killed several people, including the Deputy Mayor of Burj Al-Shamli Qassim Wehbi and the Mukhtar of Tyre Samer Shoghari.
In a separate incident, two people were killed by an air raid that hit a house on Al-Madinah Al-Kashfiyah Road, between the areas of Nabatieh Al-Fawqa and Zawtar.
Additionally, airstrikes on the city of Nabatieh killed several citizens, namely Fadel and Hassan Mansour, Jawad Al-Sabouri, and Hussein Mansour, leaving several more injured.
Louai Al-Moussawi, whose family was killed by an Israeli strike when the attacks first started, was also killed in Nabatieh Al-Fawqa.
Red Cross and International Committee of the Red Cross ambulances entered the town of Baraachit.
They recovered the remains of the paramedics of the Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Authority, who were killed in an airstrike that targeted the area weeks ago.
Lebanon's Health Ministry said Israel also struck a densely packed Beirut neighborhood, killing five people.
Monday's raid targeted a residential apartment, an office for Mayor Hasan Shuman, and a street cafe.
Zakat Al-Blat is a densely populated neighborhood shared between Hezbollah and the Amal Movement.
Hundreds of displaced people from the southern and south suburbs have taken refuge.
Relief aid was being distributed to the people in the area.
The area was targeted a month ago when an Israeli warplane bombed a residential apartment in a building that was used as a center for paramedics of the Islamic Health Authority affiliated with Hezbollah.
The raid led to the death of eight people.
