The "Axios" website revealed today, Tuesday, that U.S. President Joe Biden's special envoy, Amos Hochstein, arrived in Tel Aviv for a visit classified as secret, to discuss U.S. mediation efforts to ease tensions with Hezbollah, as well as issues related to normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia. The site noted that the meeting with Netanyahu focused on U.S. efforts to reach a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia and the recent tensions on the Israeli-Lebanese border, according to two Israeli officials cited by the site.
It highlighted that the Biden administration is pressuring the Lebanese government and military to take steps to dismantle a Hezbollah position established weeks ago on the Israeli-Lebanese border, pointing out that Hochstein is one of President Biden's closest advisors and a key player in both the Saudi and Lebanese files, alongside Biden's senior advisor for the Middle East, Brett McGurk. The White House confirmed Hochstein's visit and stated that he "discussed regional and bilateral issues with Netanyahu."
This previously undisclosed visit comes on a day of mass protests against Netanyahu's judicial reform plan. The site reminded that President Biden told CNN earlier this week that "Israel and Saudi Arabia are still far from reaching a normalization agreement." He stated that "there are still many issues to discuss," adding, "Honestly, I don't think they have a major problem with Israel." Regarding Hochstein's recent visit, the site clarified that he also discussed regional issues and matters related to the strong cooperation between the United States and Israel.
According to Channel 12, the American proposal stipulates the removal of Hezbollah's tents and personnel in exchange for halting the construction of the Israeli security wall in the village of Ghajar, which the Lebanese party views as a violation of sovereignty.
