Israel links Beirut strike halt to Hezbollah attacks ahead of Washington talks with Lebanon

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian 

Israel preempted the second round of direct negotiations with Lebanon at the level of delegation heads, scheduled to be held in Washington on Tuesday, by introducing a new formula for the war it is waging against Hezbollah.

The formula is a cessation of strikes on Beirut in exchange for Hezbollah halting attacks on northern Israel, after its rockets have already reached deeper areas, including Tiberias.

The proposal comes as part of an offer Tel Aviv intends to present during the talks. It also includes a refusal to withdraw from hilltops in southern Lebanon, linking any reduction in its military presence to the effectiveness of the Lebanese army in implementing efforts to restrict Hezbollah’s weapons, while maintaining Israeli air force freedom of action in the area.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army continues its operations against Hezbollah to seize additional high ground in southern Lebanon. 

A military official said an operation is under way based on “freedom of action” to strike Hezbollah and establish a new security zone different from the one that existed before Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000.

At the same time, northern Israel is under a high state of alert as it faces intensified rocket and drone fire from Hezbollah.