The United States is working with allies including France and Britain on proposals to halt escalating fighting between Israeli forces and Lebanon’s pro-Iranian militia Hezbollah, which has already killed hundreds and threatened to spread the conflict across the Middle East.
The Biden administration is in talks with Israeli officials to seek a political settlement between Israel and Hezbollah, said a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The topic of discussions, the official said, included preventing a full-scale war, creating conditions for the return of displaced northern Israelis and revitalizing efforts for a ceasefire and hostage exchange in Gaza.
Israeli air strikes on Lebanon (25th)
Photographer: Rabih Daher/AFP/Getty Images
“I don’t want to overstate it, but if we get a ceasefire in Lebanon, that could potentially lead to a response in the West Bank and then to a response in Gaza,” Biden said on ABC’s “The Guardian.”
The White House National Security Council and the State Department declined to comment on the mediation efforts between Lebanon and Israel.
British Foreign Secretary Lamy urged his Iranian counterpart Araghchi to use his influence over Hezbollah to prevent Lebanon from getting into a corner, said a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, asking not to be identified because the meeting is private.
But some Western officials are cautious and see little guarantee that efforts to halt escalating fighting between Israel and Hezbollah will be successful.
France, which maintains an open line of dialogue with Hezbollah, is also involved in the talks, which include a proposal for Israel not to launch a ground invasion and for Hezbollah not to increase its combat forces in the south, another official said.
French President Emmanuel Macron (left) speaks with Lebanese Prime Minister Mikati (25th)
Photographer: Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images
news-rsf-original-reference paywall">Original title:US Working With Allies to Halt Israel-Hezbollah War in Lebanon(excerpt)
