Israel, Hezbollah Negotiate Hochstein Proposals amid Escalating Violence

US mediator Amos Hochstein (Reuters)
US mediator Amos Hochstein (Reuters)
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Israel, Hezbollah Negotiate Hochstein Proposals amid Escalating Violence

US mediator Amos Hochstein (Reuters)
US mediator Amos Hochstein (Reuters)

With Israel pushing to include Lebanon in the Doha negotiations and US mediator Amos Hochstein proposing a new ceasefire plan, Israel and Hezbollah have escalated their cross-border shelling.
Experts in Tel Aviv say both sides are using firepower as leverage. Israel is pressuring Hezbollah by displacing Lebanese villages and destroying homes, while Hezbollah ambushes Israeli forces and targets settlements.
Escalating strikes continued Monday amid reports that US, Egyptian, and Qatari mediators believe a Lebanon deal is unlikely without a prisoner swap to end the Gaza conflict.
An Israeli security official told Haaretz that Hezbollah, following the assassination of its leader Hassan Nasrallah, is trying to show it remains strong and influential in Lebanon.
Hezbollah insists on linking the Gaza and Lebanon fronts and rejects Israel’s push to amend UN Security Council Resolution 1701, stalling negotiations.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel has set the following conditions for negotiations on the Lebanese front:
Full compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which requires Hezbollah to implement a complete ceasefire, withdraw its forces beyond the Litani River, and allow the Lebanese army to deploy in southern Lebanon. Following these steps, Israel would retreat to the international border.
Implementation of Resolution 1559, which demands the disarmament of Hezbollah and its dismantling as an independent militia within 24 months, led by the Lebanese army and supported by international enforcement.
Creating a new UN Security Council resolution that imposes sanctions on any country providing arms to Hezbollah, specifically naming Iran, Syria, and Russia.
Adding a clause that allows Israel complete military freedom to enforce these resolutions if Hezbollah’s power in Lebanon increases or if there are ceasefire violations.
Israelis say Hochstein, set to arrive in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, agrees on adding enforcement mechanisms to the UN Security Council resolution but is seeking to ease Israel’s conditions.
He aims to create a new negotiation framework to finalize the border between Israel and Lebanon and resolve disputes over 12 border points.
Israel believes that by applying military pressure on Hezbollah and its support network, as well as Lebanon overall, it can impose its terms and create significant shifts in the relationship between the two countries. This escalation is occurring despite the rising costs of Israel's operations in Lebanon.
Strategic expert Amatzia Baram states that Israel aims to shift the balance of power in Lebanon and reduce Iranian influence in the region, which could unite various factions within Lebanon and beyond.
He emphasizes that Israel should establish a new reality in Lebanon through a political settlement, using its military power as leverage.
Unlike past agreements that primarily affected Israel, this time, two key conditions must be met: a meaningful enforcement mechanism to ensure compliance with the agreements and the legitimacy of proactive military action by Israel if the accords are violated.



Khiam: The Center of Arab-Israeli Conflict Faces ‘Fourth Wave of Destruction’

Intense Israeli airstrike targets Khiam, Lebanon (AFP)
Intense Israeli airstrike targets Khiam, Lebanon (AFP)
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Khiam: The Center of Arab-Israeli Conflict Faces ‘Fourth Wave of Destruction’

Intense Israeli airstrike targets Khiam, Lebanon (AFP)
Intense Israeli airstrike targets Khiam, Lebanon (AFP)

Residents of Khiam in southern Lebanon, hit by 12 airstrikes on Wednesday morning, see the attacks as yet another wave of destruction for a town scarred by conflict.
“Khiam has been devastated repeatedly, enduring pain with each blow over decades,” residents say. The town has already been destroyed three times since 1948 and faces new fears amid an intense military campaign and assault attempts.
Khiam, the largest town in the Marjayoun district, houses 35,000 people and over 5,000 homes.
Since 2006, it has expanded significantly, becoming a tourist spot with guesthouses known as “chalets.”
Since Oct. 2023, parts of these buildings, mainly on Khiam’s southern and eastern edges near Israel’s Metula settlement, have been damaged.
A Historic Staging Point Against Israel
Perched on high ground overlooking the Galilee, Khiam is open from the east, west, and south, providing a strategic link to the Golan Heights, Jordan, and northern Israel.
The town is known as the “last major Shia community” near Lebanon’s southern border, neighboring Christian, Druze, and Sunni areas.
This position made Khiam a focal point for Arab fighters against Israel since the 1940s and a regular flashpoint.
Historian Dr. Munzer Jaber says Khiam and other border villages have long faced displacement and Israeli bombardment.
In the 1940s, Khiam became a base for the Arab Salvation Army, which gathered volunteers from southern Lebanon and Syria, including units from Majdal Shams and Deir ez-Zor, led by Abdul Salam al-Ajili.
Since then, Khiam has seen frequent clashes with Israel due to its proximity to Metula, which Israel considers a strategic stronghold, Jaber noted to Asharq Al-Awsat.
Adding to the tensions, overlapping property claims among Syrians, Lebanese, Palestinians, and Jewish residents often lead to disputes.
The repeated destruction and conflict in Khiam have driven waves of migration to Beirut, especially after Palestine fell, cutting off jobs for southern Lebanese. Key markets in Marjayoun, Bint Jbeil, and Khiam shut down, leaving the local economy in decline.
Khiam lost its political and economic role until 1965, when the first Palestinian guerrilla operation against Israel shifted its focus to militant activity. Palestinian and leftist groups gained influence, sparking local divisions and causing many residents to leave as Palestinian forces moved in.
Jaber told Asharq Al-Awsat that this conflict created a strong pro-guerrilla movement among Khiam’s youth, leading to clashes with local leaders.
The growing Palestinian presence gave Israel a reason for airstrikes and security raids, which intensified in late 1973, pushing more residents to flee.
The Khiam Massacre
Israel intensified its military operations in Khiam over the years. In September 1977, Israeli forces entered the town, leading to fierce clashes with the pro-Israel militia led by Saad Haddad and Lebanese-Palestinian joint forces.
Israel officially occupied Khiam on March 14, 1978, during the first invasion of southern Lebanon, following three days of heavy bombardment.
Just a few days later, on March 17, Haddad’s militia carried out a massacre, killing 61 people, the youngest being just 60 years old. Residents reported widespread displacement and complete destruction of the town.
Ongoing Destruction
For five years, residents did not return, as Khiam became unlivable. After Israel's occupation, some residents slowly returned as a security zone was established.
The “South Lebanon Army,” led by Antoine Lahad, took over the notorious Khiam prison.
In the 1980s, Israel turned the town into a training ground for urban warfare, conducting drills that left it in a state of sustained destruction for 15 years, until Israel withdrew in 2000.
After the liberation of southern Lebanon, Khiam began to expand as residents returned, rebuilding homes and starting businesses.
However, around 40% of these new structures were destroyed during the 2006 war, marking the third wave of destruction.
The conflict saw Hezbollah destroy several Israeli Merkava tanks in the Khiam plains.
Once again, residents rebuilt, creating a more modern town with new mansions, schools, and healthcare facilities, making it a key hub in the region.
2023 Conflict
The situation in Khiam is once again dire as Hezbollah launched its war in support of Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023. Official sources report that by Sept. 23, more than 550 residential units had been destroyed.
Each day, Khiam faces artillery shelling and Israeli airstrikes, with the frequency of these attacks rising recently. Israeli forces have begun a ground operation to take control of the town and its elevated areas.