U.S. presidential envoy Amos Hochstein is set to travel to Beirut, Lebanon on Monday, according to Lebanese and Israeli media reports.
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 60-day ceasefire that went into effect on Nov. 27.
Hochstein, who played a pivotal role in brokering the truce, will hold talks with top Lebanese government officials, according to the head of Hezbollah’s Coordination and Liaison Unit, Wafiq Safa.
Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen news outlet, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, cited Safa as saying that the terrorist group’s ally in parliament, Speaker Nabih Berri, would bring up “Israeli violations” in talks with the U.S. envoy.
The visit comes only days before Beirut’s parliament is set to elect a new president, on Thursday, Jan. 9.
Lebanon has had a presidential vacuum since late October 2022, when Michel Aoun’s term of office ended. No agreement has been reached on the identity of the incoming president through political negotiations.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned on Sunday that the ceasefire agreement with the Lebanese government will be void if the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization refuses to withdraw from the country’s south in accordance with the terms of the deal.
“The first condition for the implementation of the agreement is the complete withdrawal of the Hezbollah terror organization beyond the Litani River, the dismantling of all weapons, and the [removal] of the terror infrastructure in the area by the Lebanese army, something that hasn’t happened yet,” the Israeli defense minister stated.
“If this condition is not met, there will be no agreement, and Israel will be forced to act independently to ensure the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes,” he concluded.
Israel will likely soon notify the United States that it does not intend to withdraw its forces from Lebanon when the ceasefire expires, Hebrew media reported on Friday.
According to the ceasefire deal, the Lebanese Armed Forces was to have deployed south of the Litani River as Israeli forces withdrew. The truce also bars Hezbollah from reorganizing in Southern Lebanon.
However, the Lebanese military has been slow to mobilize, and Hezbollah is trying to rebuild its capabilities, Israel’s Kan News reported.
The LAF has also refrained from attacking Hezbollah targets provided by Israel via a mechanism developed for this purpose, according to Kan.
