The US ambassador to Lebanon on Thursday presented the draft of a truce proposal to the speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Berri, with the aim of stopping the conflict between the armed group Hezbollah and Israel, two sources told Reuters.
The US is trying to reach a ceasefire to end hostilities between Israel, its ally, and Hezbollah, which is supported by Iran. The efforts, however, have not yet had any effect. In September, Israel intensified its air and land offensive against Lebanon, following border clashes that occurred in parallel with the war in the Gaza Strip.
US Ambassador Lisa Johnson met on Thursday with Berri, a Hezbollah ally and diplomatic channel to the group, to present Washington’s first proposal in weeks, two Lebanese political sources said.
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“It’s a draft to get observations from the Lebanese side,” one of the sources told Reuters. None of them could provide details about the content of the proposal.
The US embassy in Beirut did not immediately comment on the incident.
So far, all efforts toward a ceasefire have focused on better implementing United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the last round of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006 and stipulated that Southern Lebanon must be free of weapons that do not belong to the Lebanese State.
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Lebanon endorsed the resolution as a way out of the current conflict. Israel, however, demanded that the country maintain the right to carry out any attack on Hezbollah if the group violates the provisions of the truce or poses a threat to Israel.
Lebanese officials say the right to “direct action” by Israel has not been formally shown to Lebanon, but would be rejected by Beirut.
“The idea that Israel could use force at any time is unthinkable,” one of the sources said.
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