Amid the visit of U.S. President Joe Biden's advisor, Amos Hochstein, to Israel on Monday to discuss ways to avoid escalation on the Lebanese-Israeli border, an Israeli political official revealed that the focus in the coming days and weeks will necessarily shift to Lebanon. The unnamed official stated: "We want to exhaust U.S. mediation for calm in the north before resorting to a military solution."
"No to Ambiguous Understandings"
He also added that Israel will allow the United States to exhaust all mediation efforts to reach an agreement in Lebanon before turning to a military solution, as reported by the newspaper Israel Hayom. However, he emphasized that his country will not accept vague and impractical understandings. He clarified that the Israeli government is waiting to see what Hochstein will propose during his meetings today.
The Israeli army warned on Sunday that "intense gunfire across the border by Hezbollah could lead to serious escalation," according to their statement.
A Violent Week
This warning came after a violent week that witnessed one of the fiercest confrontations on the Lebanese-Israeli border since the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip. Hezbollah launched the largest barrage of rockets and drones in retaliation for Israel's assassination of one of its senior field leaders during the past eight months of exchanged fire with the Israeli army amid the war in Gaza. The attacks and clashes between the two sides have heightened fears of a widespread war throughout the Middle East.
