Amos Hochstein, a top U.S. envoy to the Middle East, arrived in Beirut, the Lebanese capital, on Tuesday as efforts to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah appeared to be intensifying.
Mr. Hochstein’s visit signaled that the United States was continuing to push for a truce in the conflict, which has further destabilized a region that had already been put on edge by Israel’s war in Gaza.
After landing in Lebanon, Mr. Hochstein met with Nabih Berri, the Lebanese Parliament speaker who is a key interlocutor between the United States and Hezbollah, Lebanese state media reported.
“We have a real opportunity to bring this conflict to an end,” Mr. Hochstein said in comments to reporters after the meeting, adding that gaps between both parties had narrowed in discussions in recent weeks. “This is a moment of decision making,” he said.
Mr. Hochstein’s visit to the region comes on the heels of the third instance of Israeli airstrikes in central Beirut in two days. The strike, which hit the Zuqaq al-Blat neighborhood on Monday evening, killed at least five people and injured 24 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
The Israeli military declined to comment on two of the three strikes, only confirming one and saying that it had targeted Mohammed Afif, the head of Hezbollah’s media office, who was killed. Over the past few days, Hezbollah has launched dozens of rocket and drone attacks at Israel.
The strikes in Beirut were the first to hit the city center in weeks. Over the past week, Israel has conducted intense bombardment of the Dahiya, an area just south of Beirut where Hezbollah holds sway.
The post U.S. Envoy Visits Lebanon, Seeking Truce Between Israel and Hezbollah appeared first on New York Times.
