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Israeli Foreign Minister: Hezbollah Endangers Lebanon, Region

Flares are fired from northern Israel over the southern Lebanese border village of Aita al-Shaab, on October 28,2023. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)
Flares are fired from northern Israel over the southern Lebanese border village of Aita al-Shaab, on October 28,2023. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)
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Israeli Foreign Minister: Hezbollah Endangers Lebanon, Region

Flares are fired from northern Israel over the southern Lebanese border village of Aita al-Shaab, on October 28,2023. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)
Flares are fired from northern Israel over the southern Lebanese border village of Aita al-Shaab, on October 28,2023. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)

Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said on Sunday that Hezbollah endangers the security of Lebanon and that of the entire region.

The Minister wrote on his X account that, “If this threat is not removed diplomatically, we will not hesitate to take military action.”

In a meeting with his French counterpart Catherine Colonna, Cohen said: “We discussed preventing war in the north by distancing Hezbollah from the border with Israel, in accordance with UN Resolution 1701.”

He then affirmed that the fight against “Iranian-funded terrorist organizations” is not only in the interest of Israel, but of the entire western world.

Since the conflict between Hamas and Israel started in the Gaza Strip last October 7, Hezbollah has launched rocket attacks on Israel on a near-daily basis.

In return, Israel shelled the south of Lebanon with airstrikes and artillery, killing tens of Hezbollah fighters and civilians.

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US Envoy in Beirut for Talks after Lebanon, Hezbollah Approve Truce Draft

Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike near the southern Lebanese village of al-Khiam, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, northern Israel, 18 November 2024, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. (EPA)
Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike near the southern Lebanese village of al-Khiam, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, northern Israel, 18 November 2024, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. (EPA)
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US Envoy in Beirut for Talks after Lebanon, Hezbollah Approve Truce Draft

Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike near the southern Lebanese village of al-Khiam, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, northern Israel, 18 November 2024, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. (EPA)
Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike near the southern Lebanese village of al-Khiam, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, northern Israel, 18 November 2024, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. (EPA)

US envoy Amos Hochstein landed in Beirut on Tuesday for talks with officials on a truce between armed group Hezbollah and Israel, Lebanon's state news agency said, hours after a proposal drafted by Washington won a nod from the Iran-backed group.

The visit indicates progress in US-led diplomacy aimed at ending a conflict which spiraled into all-out war in late September, when Israel launched a major offensive against Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Both the Lebanese government and Hezbollah have agreed to the US ceasefire proposal that was submitted in writing last week and made some comments on the content, Ali Hassan Khalil, an aide to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, told Reuters on Monday.

There was no immediate comment from Israel.

Hezbollah endorsed its long-time ally Berri to negotiate over a ceasefire, but both it and Israel have escalated the fight as the political efforts carried on.

A diplomat familiar with the talks cautioned that details still needed to be ironed out and these could still hold up a final agreement.

Khalil said Israel was trying to negotiate "under fire", a reference to an escalation of its bombardment of Beirut and the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs. "This won't affect our position," he said.

He declined to detail the notes that Lebanon made on the draft but said they were presented "in a positive atmosphere" and in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the last war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006.

Its terms require Hezbollah to have no armed presence in the area between the Lebanese-Israeli border and the Litani River, which runs some 30 km (20 miles) north of the frontier.