Israeli military threats rise as US seeks Gaza ceasefire for south Lebanon solution

Report by Bassam Abou Zeid, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein recognizes that resolving the situation in southern Lebanon hinges on achieving a ceasefire in Gaza.

Hochstein aims to accomplish two objectives: a ceasefire in Gaza and a long-term agreement in southern Lebanon that resolves border issues and allows for the return of Israeli settlers and displaced Lebanese.

Reports suggest that the Israelis were assured by the U.S. that a solution for southern Lebanon could be reached by September.

Since this solution has not yet materialized, Israeli threats of a wide-scale military operation against Hezbollah have increased, with the goal of ultimately returning settlers to northern settlements.

The reports also indicate that both the U.S. administration and Congress have become increasingly aligned with this Israeli stance, but they lack information about the nature of the military operation the Israelis are discussing. Is it a ground invasion, or merely an escalation and expansion of aerial attacks with a request to evacuate areas south of the Litani River to create a buffer zone?

The official Lebanese side, represented by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, said no new information about any Israeli escalation has been received, reaffirming continued international efforts to prevent such escalation. 

They also noted that the key to a ceasefire in the south is a ceasefire in Gaza. 

There is speculation among Lebanese circles that if the Quintet Committee succeeds in electing a president, this event could serve as an entry point to separate Lebanon’s situation from Gaza’s.