U.S. presidential envoy Amos Hochstein arrived in Lebanon’s capital Beirut on Monday to discuss the status of the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire.
Hochstein is expected to chair a meeting of the international monitoring mechanism at UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura in Southern Lebanon.
The visit comes amid reports that Israel is planning to delay its withdrawal from Lebanon due to Hezbollah’s refusal to comply with the terms of the ceasefire, that went into effect on Nov. 27, and the Lebanese Army’s failure to deploy 10,000 troops south of the Litani River.
Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israeli forces are to gradually withdraw from Lebanese territory as Hezbollah terrorists retreat north of the Litani and Lebanese and UNIFIL forces enter Southern Lebanon. The U.S. and France are overseeing the implementation.
MTV Lebanon reported that Hochstein will propose extending the ceasefire and IDF withdrawal by 60 days due to the failure of the Lebanese Army to deploy sufficient troops in the south.
Hochstein arrived in Lebanon after visiting Saudi Arabia, where he met in Riyadh with Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud. According to the Saudi foreign minister, they discussed “regional developments, especially those in the Lebanese arena.”
Hochstein’s visit also comes only days before Beirut’s parliament is set to elect a new president, on Thursday, Jan. 9.