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U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein says end of Israel-Hezbollah war "within our grasp"

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (R) meets with U.S. special envoy Amos Hochstein (C) and U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson in Beirut, Lebanon, on Tuesday. Hochstein arrived in Beirut for talks with Lebanese officials on a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hezbollah. Photo by Wael Hamzeh/EPA-EFE
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (R) meets with U.S. special envoy Amos Hochstein (C) and U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson in Beirut, Lebanon, on Tuesday. Hochstein arrived in Beirut for talks with Lebanese officials on a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hezbollah. Photo by Wael Hamzeh/EPA-EFE

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein said Tuesday "a real opportunity" to end the Israel-Hezbollah conflict is "now within our grasp," but both parties need to make the decision.

Hochstein, who arrived in Beirut, Lebanon, earlier Tuesday, said he held "very constructive talks" with House Speaker Nabih Berri, who is negotiating a U.S. cease-fire proposal on behalf of his ally, Hezbollah.

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Meanwhile, three Lebanese Army soldiers were killed and 17 others wounded in an Israeli strike that hit a house near their post in southern Lebanon Tuesday evening, the Army and Health Ministry said.

The attack occurred near an Army intelligence position and fishing port in the coastal area of Sarafand in southern Lebanon.

The Army posted on X about the soldier deaths, while the Health Ministry indicated that 17 others, including a number of civilians, were injured.

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Cease-fire talks have been focusing on the complete implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, but has not been fully respected by both parties since.

The resolution calls for the disarmament of Hezbollah and its withdrawal to the north of the Litani River, the pullout of Israeli forces from Lebanese territories, and Army and U.N. peacekeeping troops to be the only force in charge of security in the southern border area.

Israel has been trying to impose new conditions to secure more enforcement mechanisms and continue to have a free hand in Lebanon to prevent Hezbollah's rearming and funding.

Lebanon rejected the Israeli conditions. saying they violate the country's sovereignty, and insisted on the implementation of Resolution 1701 as is.

The truce talks also tackle a committee to supervise the cease-fire and deal with violations, as well as ways to control legal and illegal border points along the Syrian-Lebanese borders to prevent the smuggling of arms and funds to Hezbollah.

Under the proposal, Beirut port and airports should be fully controlled by Lebanese security forces.

Hochstein explained that discussions over the last few weeks focused on narrowing the gaps between Lebanon and Israel.

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"And, specifically today, we continued to significantly narrow the gaps," he told reporters after a two-hour meeting with Berri. "So, the meeting was very constructive and very helpful."

Hochstein said he came back to Beirut because "we have a real opportunity" to end the raging war that killed an estimated 3,516 people and wounded 14,929 in Lebanon since October 2023.

"This is a moment of decision-making. I'm here in Beirut to facilitate that decision, but it's ultimately the decision of the parties to reach a conclusion to this conflict. It is now within our grasp," he said, expressing hope that the coming days "yield a resolute decision."

Berri said "the situation is good in principle," but some technical details are "to be completed" by his representative and a U.S. representative, after which Hoschtein could travel to Israel.

"Then, we will wait what he [Hochstein] would be carrying from there [Israel]," he told the Saudi Ash Sharq al Awsat newspaper.

Berri emphasized that "guaranteeing Israel's position is the responsibility of the Americans," after Hochstein confirmed to him that he coordinated with the Israeli officials over the draft proposal.

He expressed fears of Israel backing away from "its pledges" as it won't be "the first time."

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Hochstein, who also met caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Army commander Gen. Joseph Aoun, will reportedly stay in Lebanon until all conflicting points are tackled.

It is yet to be seen whether Israel, which has stepped up its air strikes on Beirut, its southern suburbs and southern Lebanon for the past several days, will ease its conditions and endorse the cease-fire draft proposal.

"I am not optimistic .... I don't think the Israelis are going to accept anything less than the full list of terms they have presented," Riad Kahwaji, who heads the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis in Dubai, told UPI.

"I don't think they are in a position open to negotiate or renegotiate any of the terms that they have put forward."

Kahwaji referred to two points of contention, one of which is related to the fate of Hezbollah's remaining arsenals of heavy weapons and missiles, as "it is obvious that the Israelis, Americans and many international players want Hezbollah to hand them over at least to the Lebanese military."

That would include the status of an observation force international force that would monitor all the ports, airports and borders to ensure that "there will not be any resupply of weapons to Hezbollah in the future," Kahwaii said.

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The second point of contention is Israel's insistence on having the right to take action against any Hezbollah violation, such as attempts to smuggle missiles into Lebanon.

Kahwaji explained that the agreement that is being sought is a comprehensive one and not just a cease-fire, saying it is "Res. 1701 plus," as Hochstein previously said.

He noted that Hezbollah keeps on assuming that "Israel is exhausted and wants a cease-fire, that Hochstein's visit to Beirut means a cease-fire is imminent and thus it launched extensive missile strikes into Israel," targeting Tel Aviv [Monday[ night.

"They [Hezbollah] want to get out of this looking good ... that they were in the fight to the very last minute," he added.

Hezbollah is also still fighting Israeli forces, which advanced 3 kilometers to to 5 km. during the first phase of its ground offensive into southern Lebanon, destroying Hezbollah military infrastructure and tunnels, as well as demolishing all houses and villages.

"Now pushing their way up to 8 km. from the borders ... the purpose is to establish "a no-man's land, a zone with no people, more or less like a security zone," Kahwaji said.

Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging fire across the border since the militant group opened a "support front" for Gaza in October 2023.

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The conflict descended into war when Israel expanded its attacks Sept. 17 with an unprecedented, highly sophisticated pager and walkie-talkie attack against Hezbollah members, killing a dozen people and wounding more than 3,000.

The peak was the assassination 10 days later of Nasrallah in his bunker in Beirut's southern suburbs, along with several of his military commanders.

Israel stepped up its strikes by targeting more Hezbollah officials, headquarters, missiles launchers, bases and even its financial arm in the group's main strongholds in Beirut's southern suburbs, as well as southern and eastern Lebanon.

Israeli forces then started to advance inside southern Lebanon, where they met fierce resistance by Hezbollah fighters, who kept firing missiles into Israeli territory. The relentless Israeli air and ground bombardment led to large destruction of villages, property, hospitals and schools in the targeted areas.

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