Hochstein's Paris Talks Highlight Tensions and Presidential Politics Amid Lebanon-Israel Conflict

A report by Bassam Abou Zeid, English adaptation by Nadine Sassine

The discussion held by Amos Hochstein, the chief advisor to the US President, in Paris with the French presidential envoy to Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian, and officials at the Élysée Palace revealed that Paris and Washington reluctantly accepted that there is no separation between the war in Gaza and the war in southern Lebanon. 

Sources familiar with the Paris meetings indicated that efforts would continue to be made to reduce tensions at the Lebanese-Israeli border. Both sides expressed grave concern about the possibility of the situation escalating into a full-scale war and considered Hezbollah's bet that Israel would not launch such a war to be misplaced.

In this context, the sources reiterated their warning about events occurring at the border, such as the assassinations carried out by the Israeli army targeting Hezbollah officials. Hezbollah's responses to these operations were also noted, with concerns that the situation could develop dramatically at any moment.

The topic of the Lebanese presidency was also a key point of discussion during the Paris meetings. Despite the ongoing war, both sides heard directly and indirectly from Hezbollah that it does not link the presidency issue with the conflict. 

However, there is a conviction among the Americans and French that Hezbollah would settle the presidential issue today if it ensured the election of Sleiman Frangieh. If a presidential compromise is necessary, Hezbollah prefers to wait until the end of the war to avoid appearing to make concessions that could be seen as a sign of weakness.