Israel kills 6 in Lebanon as Blinken says ‘time to end war’ in Gaza
Lebanon awaits truce proposals after US envoy expresses hope
Lebanon is awaiting concrete ceasefire proposals, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri was quoted as saying, after a senior US official said he saw “a shot” at a truce soon in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
Israel launched a major air and ground offensive against the Iran-backed group Hezbollah in late September after nearly a year of cross-border conflict in parallel with the Gaza war.
White House envoy Amos Hochstein told Axios that he thinks “there is a shot” at a truce in Lebanon soon. “I am hopeful we can get it.”
His comments point to a last-ditch bid by the outgoing administration of US President Joe Biden to secure a Lebanon ceasefire as diplomacy to end the Gaza war appears adrift, with mediator Qatar having suspended its role.
Berri, endorsed to negotiate by Hezbollah, told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper that Lebanon had not been informed officially of any new proposals for a ceasefire, which several rounds of US-led diplomacy have failed to secure over the last year.
“What is on the table is only Resolution 1701 and its provisions, which must be implemented and adhered to by both sides, not by the Lebanese side alone,” Berri, who helped negotiate the 2006 truce, told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper.
‘Time to end the Gaza war’ Blinken says, after US-imposed deadline for aid expires
“Israel, by the standards it set itself, has accomplished the goals that it set for itself,” the US secretary of state tells reporters during a visit to Brussels. “This should be a time to end the war.”
He also said the US wants real and extended pauses in fighting in Gaza so assistance can get to people who need it.
The US has yet to offer any hard consequences for Isreal for its apparent disregard of US requests to end the war and address the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
Yesterday, after the expiry of a 30-day US deadline for Israel to take steps to address the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Washington said Israel was not blocking aid to Gaza and therefore not violating US law.
Eight international aid groups said Israel had failed to meet US demands to improve access for assistance. Food security experts have said it is likely that famine is imminent in parts of the Strip.
