US envoy Amos Hochstein kicked off his third visit to Lebanon in less than five months on Monday by calling on Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
His round of talks with Lebanese officials included Army commander Gen. Joseph Aoun, caretaker Minister of Water and Energy Walid Fayyad, and former head of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) Walid Joumblatt.
Speaking to reporters after his meeting with Berri, Hochstein stressed Washington’s keenness to find a diplomatic solution to the ongoing confrontation in South Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel.
“Escalation of violence is in no one’s interest, and there is no such thing as a limited war,” he said, adding that escalation will not help either the Lebanese or the Israelis who have been displaced by the border violence to return to their homes.
Noting that “escalation will certainly not help Lebanon rebuild and advance at this critical time in Lebanon’s history,” Hochstein emphasized Washington’s belief that “a diplomatic solution is the only way to end the current hostilities along the Blue Line and achieve a lasting and fair security arrangement between Lebanon and Israel.”
At his meeting with Fayyad, the US envoy explored the possibility of importing gas from Egypt and electricity from Jordan via Syria, underlining the helpful role that the Americans could play in that regard.
Hochstein also stressed the necessity of restoring stability and stopping the conflict in south Lebanon, a matter that will have a positive impact on many levels, such as increasing power supply and greater commitment to oil and gas exploration in Lebanon.
On his third visit to Lebanon since Hamas’s attack against Israel on October 7, which was followed a day after by Hezbollah’s opening of the South Lebanon front, Hochstein embarked on yet another round of talks with Lebanese officials focused on ways to advance a diplomatic solution and restore calm in the South following a potential ceasefire in Gaza.
