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Hochstein touches down in Israel after Beirut talks on ceasefire

The U.S. envoy will meet with Netanyahu as efforts to advance a truce with the Hezbollah terrorist group continue.

U.S. special envoy Amos Hochstein delivers a statement after his meeting with Lebanon's Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (not pictured) in Beirut on Aug. 14, 2024. Photo by AFP via Getty Images.
U.S. special envoy Amos Hochstein delivers a statement after his meeting with Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (not pictured) in Beirut on Aug. 14, 2024. Photo by AFP via Getty Images.

U.S. presidential envoy Amos Hochstein touched down in Israel on Wednesday night after two days of meetings in Beirut to discuss “technical details” of an American ceasefire proposal.

Hochstein was set to meet with Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer shortly after his arrival on Wednesday night, followed by a tête-à-tête with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the following day.

U.S. President Joe Biden’s point man for Lebanon announced earlier on Wednesday that he would travel to Israel next, speaking after he made “additional progress” in a second meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who heads the Hezbollah-allied Amal movement.

“The meeting today built on the meeting yesterday, and made additional progress,” Hochstein said. “So I will travel from here in a couple hours to Israel to try to bring this to a close if we can.”

The U.S. secretary of state will travel to the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain to discuss regional priorities, including the U.S. agreement with Tehran and efforts to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
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