Israel’s new foreign minister said Monday that there has been “certain progress” in efforts to end the fighting with Lebanon’s Hezbollah. But a spokesman for the militant group said it had not received any official proposal and was prepared to wage a long war if needed.
The Biden administration has spent months trying to broker a cease-fire, and there were reports that U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein might return to the region in the coming days.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said any agreement would have to include enforcement mechanisms to prevent Hezbollah from reconstituting its military infrastructure near the border.
“There is certain progress on the issue. We are working with the Americans,” he told reporters.
Hezbollah began firing into Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, in solidarity with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Since the conflict erupted, more than 3,100 people have been killed and nearly 13,900 wounded in Lebanon, the Health Ministry reported.
The Israel-Hamas war began after militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducting 250 others. Israel’s military response in Gaza has killed more than 43,000 people, Palestinian health officials say. They do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but say more than half of those killed were women and children.
Here’s the latest:
JERUSALEM — Israel’s new foreign minister appeared to downplay a looming U.S. deadline for increased aid to Gaza, saying he was confident “the issue would be solved.”
The Biden administration warned Israel last month to increase the amount of food and other urgently needed aid entering Gaza to 350 trucks per day or risk a scaling back of American military support. It set a 30-day deadline that expires this week.
The amount of aid entering the war-ravaged territory plummeted in October to its lowest level since the first month of the war, with an average of 57 trucks entering each day, according to Israeli figures.
U.N. agencies say even less is actually being distributed because Israeli restrictions, ongoing fighting and lawlessness often prevent them from retrieving the aid on the Gaza side of the border.
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Monday that he was “sure we can also reach understanding with our American friends and that issue will be solved.”
U.S. President Joe Biden may have less leverage over Israel as it awaits Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January.
Trump was a staunch supporter of Israel during his previous term. He has vowed to end the wars in the Middle East without saying how.
BEIRUT — Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Monday called for an immediate cease-fire along the Lebanon-Israel border, saying the war has had devastating effects on the small nation.
