President Joe Biden has tasked one of his top advisors with leading efforts to prevent a potential war between Lebanon and Israel, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Tasking Amos Hochstein to Lead the American Team
Amos Hochstein will lead a team of American diplomats and officials to ramp up diplomatic efforts and explore avenues to avoid conflict, as U.S. concerns grow that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may open a new front.
U.S. Concerns About Escalation of Conflict
A U.S. National Security Council official indicated that the American president has made it clear that the United States will not support a war on Lebanon and that Israel would be on its own in this regard.
Diplomatic Efforts and American Warnings
Since Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, the United States has deployed aircraft carriers, thousands of troops, and other assets to the Middle East to send a deterrent signal to Iran, Hezbollah, and any other party considering opening a second front against Israel.
The U.S. State Department and Department of Defense have closely monitored communications with their counterparts in Lebanon and Israel to restore calm and stability in the region.
Amos Hochstein’s Role in Diplomatic Efforts
Previously, Amos Hochstein served as the special envoy to the president for global infrastructure and energy security, transitioning from the State Department to the White House recently. He is now the president’s senior advisor for energy and investment. He has a history of navigating between Lebanon and Israel since the Obama administration.
Biden asked Hochstein early in his term to see if he could finalize a maritime border deal after a decade of U.S. diplomacy. He successfully mediated the agreement that saw the two warring countries agree to define their maritime boundaries to benefit from natural gas reserves in the maritime waters.
Growing Concerns in Washington
Increasing concerns in Washington are that Netanyahu’s government may launch a new war on Lebanon as the fighting in Gaza has not yielded a victory it can claim as success.
Another U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that the Israeli military received warnings from their American counterparts not to open a new front. Israeli military officials have responded to this message, including the top general of the Israeli army, according to U.S. military officials.
American Warnings to Lebanon
While the United States continues to urge Israel and its military to restrain from targeting Lebanese civilians, UN personnel, civilian infrastructure, agricultural lands, and the Lebanese army, Washington has also warned Lebanon and its officials that it cannot serve as a base for attacks against Israel.
One of the ideas being floated is to halt cross-border attacks between Lebanese Hezbollah and Israel, allowing residents on both sides of the border to return to their homes. Israel has demanded the withdrawal of Hezbollah fighters north of the Litani River, which is deemed unlikely.
A potential agreement may be proposed where Hezbollah withdraws from the border by an agreed distance while Israelis withdraw the same distance on their side of the border.
For now, the rules of engagement remain entirely unwritten, and Israel has not launched a full-scale war despite some concerns.
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