US envoy Amos Hochstein arrives in Beirut with latest ceasefire proposal

Israel, backed by the US, wants to ensure Hezbollah can never again be a threat

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US envoy Amos Hochstein arrived in Beirut on Monday in the latest effort towards a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

Mr Hochstein is holding talks on Israel's conditions for a diplomatic solution to end its war on Lebanon that includes a land invasion, Israeli media said.

Israel has reportedly demanded that its forces be allowed to engage in “active enforcement” to ensure Hezbollah does not rearm and rebuild its military infrastructure close to the border. Israel also demanded its air force have freedom of operation in Lebanese air space, according to reports.

Israel, armed and supported by the US, has said it wants to ensure that Iran-backed Hezbollah can never be a threat to its citizens in the north of the country again. Israel continued its aerial bombardment of Lebanon, hitting numerous Hezbollah-linked financial institutions across the country on Sunday.

Mr Hochstein is scheduled to meet Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, but first held talks with Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri on Monday. The latter is a key interlocutor, who has close ties with Hezbollah.

Both Lebanese officials have called for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, agreed in 2006 to end the last war between arch foes Israel and Hezbollah. But Israel, which has entered Lebanese airspace thousands of times without permission, has signalled that even if UNSC 1701 was fully implemented, the terms were no longer tenable.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf was reported as saying last week that his government was ready to negotiate the implementation of the resolution, prompting Mr Mikati to accuse Tehran of interfering in Lebanon's internal affairs.

An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Monday that there had been a “misunderstanding”.

“Iran has never had any intention or action that could be suspected of interfering in the internal affairs of Lebanon,” Esmaeil Baghaei said during a weekly news conference.

Last month, Hezbollah was under the impression it had agreed to a ceasefire with Israel to end the fighting. However, that was torn up by Israel the day after when it assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a bombardment of Beirut.

Mr Hochstein, who has served in the Israeli military, is a regular visitor to Israel and Lebanon as the US seeks to find a ceasefire. He helped mediate the landmark maritime border deal between Lebanon and Israel in 2022. The two countries are technically in a state of war and do not have diplomatic relations.

Israel's bombardment of Lebanon has killed about 2,500 people and displaced more than 1.2 million.

On Sunday, an Israeli attack on a Lebanese army vehicle in south Lebanon killed three soldiers. Israel claimed that it thought the vehicle belonged to Hezbollah. The Lebanese army has not been involved in the clashes with Israel.