Senior US official to visit 'Israel' hoping to prevent war: Reports
4 Min Read
Israeli media reports that a senior US official is coming on a visit to occupied Palestine in a bid to prevent an escalation that would lead to a war with Lebanon.
-
Investigators stand on an apartment building where an Israeli strike Tuesday killed top Hamas political leader Saleh al-Arouri, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, January 3, 2024 (AP)
The United States wants to prevent an escalation that might evolve into a regional war by sending a senior diplomat to occupied Palestine to prevent the Israeli occupation from committing a blunder, Israeli media reported.
The Israeli KAN public broadcaster said there were talks about US President Joe Biden's special envoy on Israeli-Lebanese issues, Amos Hochstein going on a trip to occupied Palestine.
Hochstein mediated talks that culminated in a maritime demarcation agreement that put to bed some stark tensions previously, and he is currently reportedly trying to prevent an escalation that might lead to an all-out war on Lebanon.
The US diplomat is also pushing forward with an agreement on land demarcation, which the Israeli outlet said "Tel Aviv" did not oppose and had previously discussed its stipulations.
Hochstein is slated to visit occupied Palestine on Thursday to meet with several senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others.
The US diplomat will present what he heard from Lebanese authorities to the Israeli regime and then will receive the Israeli standpoint, which is that they do not oppose the agreement, the outlet said.
According to KAN, the Israelis want their settlers back in the north again. However, they will not send them back there without an agreement because that would lead to a war.
"Today, they told us in Israel that there is an agreement on most points of contention with Lebanon, and simply, there are some points that Hezbollah insists on, and we will not give in on these contentious points," Israeli KAN political affairs correspondent Suleiman Maswadeh said.
US uninterested in war with Lebanon
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin underlined back in late November that the US interest was in preventing the war on Gaza from spreading into Lebanon. He condemned "the ongoing cross-border attacks from Lebanon into Israel" and voiced support for the safe return of Israeli settlers to the northern region.
Two weeks earlier ago, Austin "expressed concern" to Gallant regarding "Israel's" involvement in heightening tensions along the "border with Lebanon", Axios reported citing three US and Israeli sources who were briefed on the call.
The news website considered that "Austin's message to Gallant reflected growing anxiety in the White House that Israeli military action in Lebanon is exacerbating tensions along the border, which could lead to a regional war."
It cited sources briefed on the issue as saying that "some in the Biden administration are concerned Israel is trying to provoke Hezbollah and create a pretext for a wider war in Lebanon that could draw the US and other countries further into the conflict."
According to one US source, "the White House asked Austin to express concern to Gallant about escalating Israeli military action in Lebanon."
Quarter-million settlers fled northern settlements
For more than 80 days, the northern settlements have been on edge: anticipating an imminent war, the outlet reported. They dread the war because they understand the tremendous risks that it holds, especially after witnessing the Al-Aqsa Flood operation launched by the Palestinian Resistance in Gaza.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday that the number of Israelis who evacuated northern occupied Palestine as a result of Hezbollah's operations has exceeded 230,000.
Israeli media said that fears are mounting among settlers in the north as the Resistance in Lebanon continues to carry out daily operations with no signs that it is deterred by any actions the occupation army is taking.
