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Biden admin tries to de-escalate IOF-Hezbollah tensions: Axios

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Axios
30 Aug 2023 09:33

Amos Hochstein, President Biden's senior advisor for energy and infrastructure, is set to arrive in Beirut for crucial talks with senior Lebanese officials.

A Lebanese soldier points a rocket-propelled grenade toward an Israeli tank in the disputed Kfar Chouba hills along the border, south Lebanon, Friday, June 9, 2023 (AP)

The Biden administration is ramping up diplomatic efforts to ease growing tensions between "Israel" and Lebanon, with the primary goal of preventing an outbreak of hostilities along the Palestinian-Lebanese border, Axios reported.

That report highlights that US diplomatic efforts are very vital, especially at this stage of escalating tensions; even a minor border incident between "Israel" and Hezbollah could swiftly escalate into a broader conflict in Lebanon, causing reverberations across the entire region.

Months of mounting tensions over a Hezbollah outpost, situated just 100 feet south of the blue line (the withdrawal line) in what Lebanon considers its national territory, have stoked concerns over the potential for a larger conflagration.

Citing informed sources, Axios reported that Amos Hochstein, President Biden's senior advisor for energy and infrastructure, is set to arrive in Beirut for crucial talks with senior Lebanese officials. These discussions are aimed at diffusing the border tensions that have been building up.

Equivocally, Brett McGurk, Biden's senior Middle East advisor, and Barbara Leaf, a top diplomat at the State Department, also met with Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant to discuss the situation and explore potential solutions.

The United States has been persistently urging the Lebanese government to dismantle the Resistance's outposts situated beyond the blue line.

Elias Bou Saab, the deputy speaker of the Lebanese parliament, expressed hope that Hochstein's involvement could lead to resolutions of the land border disputes similar to how he facilitated the maritime border agreement.

As the situation evolves, attention is also turning to the upcoming UN Security Council vote on the extension of the mandate of the UN Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL).

The Lebanese government's push to curtail UNIFIL's mandate clashes with the US and Israeli stance, which advocates for the preservation of UNIFIL's unrestricted access and movement in southern Lebanon without limitations.