The arrival of Amos Hochstein, Senior Advisor to the White House on Global Energy Security, in Israel yesterday, on a mission fundamentally focused on curbing dangerous indications of the potential expansion of the Gaza conflict into Lebanon, was not an ordinary development. Rather, this visit itself served as a renewed warning about the severe escalation of military tensions along the Lebanese-Israeli front. In any case, Hochstein's visit to Israel, the potential follow-up of which to Beirut remains uncertain, was not the only alert indicating Lebanon's proximity to the peak of the "red zone." It was preceded by three days of heavy military activity along the Blue Line, which has turned into an open field for exchanging military operations and gradual escalation. This situation has pushed aside reassuring theories that Lebanon has distanced itself from the possibilities of slipping into a broad war, as serious diplomats and experts believe that Washington does not act randomly or merely to fill a diplomatic stage when it sends Hochstein—who has become a key official with deep expertise in the Lebanese border, oil, and strategic file—to Israel and Lebanon twice within less than a month, without sensing the imminent risk of a war they do not wish between Israel and "Hezbollah."
These individuals noted that despite the objections, condemnations, and glaring outrage regarding the "blind cover" provided by the U.S. administration for Israel in its war and massacres in Gaza, this does not obscure a notable reality: the U.S. has strongly stood against Lebanon falling into the maze of a wide war from the very first moment and has exerted pressure on Israel while sending repeated warnings to "Hezbollah" through Lebanese and foreign channels to steer Lebanon clear of the consequences of the war expanding to it. Therefore, concerned circles are awaiting the atmosphere, titles, and results of the new movement being undertaken by Hochstein as an envoy from the American president to Israel, knowing that the assumption of his visit to Beirut after going to Israel is not fixed.
It is worth noting, according to "An-Nahar," that the new American maneuver coincides with a session that the United Nations Security Council will hold today, dedicated to closed consultations on the semi-annual briefing on the implementation of Resolution 1701 in southern Lebanon. During this session, the UN Secretary-General's representative in Lebanon, Joanna Wronecka, will present a report on this resolution amid recent developments in the south.
Hochstein arrived in Israel yesterday to hold talks with senior Israeli officials to prevent the Gaza war from expanding to the Lebanon front, according to the American website "Axios." The site reported that U.S. officials expressed increasing concern in the White House that Israeli military actions in Lebanon could exacerbate tensions along the border, possibly leading to a regional war. According to an American official, Hochstein will emphasize that restoring calm along the northern border should be of utmost priority. An Israeli official told the site that Hochstein is expected to meet with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army Herzi Halevi, and Israeli National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi. A senior Israeli official stated that Israel wants the U.S. to diplomatically pressure "Hezbollah" to withdraw its special Radwan forces from the border.
Earlier yesterday, Hochstein stressed that what is happening in Gaza should not affect Lebanon's borders, during the activities of the Manama Dialogue Forum 2023, a regional security summit. He confirmed that the maritime border demarcation agreement between Lebanon and Israel is in place, considering that the future plan should focus on land border demarcation.
