Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper pointed out that in an attempt to defuse the military tension between “Israel” and Lebanon as a result of differences over the demarcation of the maritime borders, the American mediator, Amos Hochstein, intensified his efforts to overcome the crisis and progress towards an agreement in the coming days.
In this context, sources in the White House confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that Hochstein is making vigorous contacts with Beirut and Tel Aviv, and he may return to the region for this purpose. According to well-informed Israeli sources, the US administration expressed to both sides its anger over their behavior.
The sources said that Washington was surprised by the Lebanese reservations regarding the draft agreement presented to it by Hochstein, and by the sharp Israeli rejection of it, and told them that these statements should not have been made by the two sides, which raised tension and obstructed the agreement, and affirmed its desire to see new progress in the negotiations. If it was not possible to reach an agreement during the era of Yair Lapid’s government, it sees this as a missed opportunity that will lead to a heavy loss for Lebanon. Therefore, it seeks to achieve an agreement before the Israeli elections, which will be held on the 1st of November, or at least to move towards an agreement in earnest.
