dpa
Tel Aviv
US envoy Amos Hochstein has begun talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an effort to secure a ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah.
An Israeli government spokeswoman confirmed that the meeting took place on Thursday.
The White House Middle East coordinator, Brett McGurk, was also involved in the conversation. The two negotiators then also met with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Gallant’s spokeswoman said afterwards that the discussions had focused on “strategic challenges and opportunities in the region” - in particular security issues between Israel and Lebanon and the return of the hostages in the hands of the Hamas.
Najib Mikati, the caretaker prime minister of Lebanon, had previously said that he hoped for a ceasefire “within days.”
The conditions for a ceasefire are implementing UN Resolution 1701, the deployment of the Lebanese army in southern Lebanon, and the consolidation of its presence in the border area.
UN Resolution 1701 calls on Hezbollah to withdraw to the north of the Litani River, about 30 kilometres from the border with Israel.
According to media reports, a US proposal is to stipulate that Israeli soldiers would leave Lebanon within seven days of the end of hostilities.They would be replaced by a total of 10,000 soldiers from the regular Lebanese army, who would be stationed on the border with Israel within the first 60 days after the signing of the agreement.
The draft also stipulates that Lebanon’s government monitor all arms sales to the country as well as arms production.
After 60 days, Israel and Lebanon are also to hold negotiations on the full implementation of UN Resolution 1701. The United States and other countries, including Germany, are to monitor the implementation of the agreement.
Hochstein has been trying to broker a ceasefire for several months - so far without success.
Israeli ground troops and fighters for the Iran-backed Hezbollah are still battling in the area around the strategically important town of Khiam in southern Lebanon as Israel seeks to secure its northern border.
Israel’s troops are trying to advance there, Lebanese media reported on Thursday, citing witnesses. Hezbollah said that Israeli soldiers had been attacked four times near Khiam on Thursday morning. The information could not initially be verified independently.
Hezbollah put up “fierce resistance” against Israeli troops in the area, a report said. The army was attacking in the area with artillery, machine guns and from the air, the television station LBCI reported. There have been several heavy explosions.
Human rights activists said the Israeli army also attacked targets in Syria, including an important route used by Hezbollah.
Three people were killed and five others injured in the attacks in Kusair, near the Lebanese border, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Kusair, a small town, is strategically important as it is located on Hezbollah’s supply route for weapons from Iran supplied through Syria.
Israel’s military said it had struck weapons depots and command centres belonging to Hezbollah’s elite Radwan unit in the Kusair area.
The Israeli military said on Thursday that its air force had attacked some 150 targets in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon within the past 24 hours, targetting the Palestinian organization Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbollah.
