US envoy Amos Hochstein arrived in Israel on Monday, two weeks after his last visit to Lebanon. He is expected to meet senior Israeli officials, including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, in an attempt to avert a war between Lebanon and Israel, according to diplomatic sources.
Hochstein stressed that what is happening in Gaza should not affect Lebanon’s borders. He assured that the agreement to demarcate the maritime borders between Lebanon and Israel is in place, saying that the future plan should be to demarcate the land borders.
The United States fears that the conflict could spread and lead to a regional war. The clashes between Hezbollah and the Israeli army on Lebanon’s southern border are worrying some members of the US administration. Americans suspect that Israel is trying to provoke Hezbollah in order to create a pretext for a wider war in Lebanon, which Israeli officials deny.
For its part, the Hebrew state wants the United States to put pressure on Hezbollah to withdraw its forces from the border, according to a senior Israeli official.
As a precautionary measure, Israel has evacuated many towns and villages near the border with Lebanon.
