There are still concerns that the ongoing fighting between Israel and Hezbollah could lead to a larger war. US mediator Amos Hochstein is trying to de-escalate the situation.
The window of opportunity for a diplomatic solution to the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia is closing, according to Israeli Defense Minister Joav Galant. According to his office, Galant told his US counterpart Lloyd Austin with regard to a possible larger war: “The direction is clear.”
US mediator Amos Hochstein, who has been trying to de-escalate the situation for months, wanted to hold talks again in Israel. According to media reports, he will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as Galant. The constant shelling on the northern border cannot continue, Netanyahu said, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Hezbollah has linked its fate with that of the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Galant said during the telephone conversation with Austin. Hezbollah has been shelling Israel since the beginning of the Gaza war almost a year ago and is only prepared to silence its weapons after a ceasefire in the Palestinian coastal strip. Israel is demanding that Hezbollah also withdraw from the border area, as stipulated in a UN resolution.
Since the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah began, tens of thousands of people in both countries have fled the border region. Israel is committed to the safe return of its citizens to their homes in the north as well as to efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza war, Galant said. However, the goal remains the destruction of Hamas and the return of the hostages “by all means”.
Source: Stern
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