Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Monday that “there is one message to the Lebanese Prime Minister: Either Hezbollah retreats beyond Litani river, now, or there will be war,” according to Israeli media.
Amid escalating tensions, Netanyahu conveyed his message while meeting United States special envoy Amos Hochstein, who is scheduled to meet Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Tuesday.
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According to the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, Hochstein informed Israeli officers that “without a plan for the day after the Gaza war, it will be difficult to reach an agreement with the Lebanese front.”
Later, Hochstein also met Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid, and tackled with him the return of peace and stability in northern regions.
“North residents must return to their homes,” Lapid emphasized, noting that “the international community cannot ignore an entire region that has been under fire for eight months.” He stressed the necessity for Israel to “keep Hezbollah away from the border, whether through a political settlement or through military action,” asserting that “the chaos in the north must stop.”
According to the Times of Israel, a US embassy spokesperson pointed out that “Hochstein is in Israel as part of the Biden administration’s efforts to continue to prevent escalation along the Israel-Lebanon border.”
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