"A U.S. official said the U.S. hoped the meeting would help de-escalate tensions between the countries and help to avoid a resumption of the war in Lebanon. While a ceasefire was reached nearly one year ago, Israel has been stepping up its strikes in Lebanon in recent weeks to combat what it sees as an effort by Hezbollah to rebuild its military capability."
"Between the lines: A U.S. official said the Trump administration believes the assassination of Hezbollah's top military commander gave the Israeli government more political maneuvering space and delayed a potential major Israeli operation in Lebanon. The Trump administration thinks that regardless of the rhetoric from some Israeli politicians and generals, a resumption of the war by Israel is not in the cards in the coming weeks, the U.S. official said."
The Trump administration has spent nine months fostering dialogue between Israel and Lebanon to de-escalate tensions and avoid a resumption of war. U.S. officials view the meeting as a means to reduce immediate risks after Israel increased strikes in recent weeks to counter perceived Hezbollah rearmament despite a ceasefire reached nearly a year earlier. The meeting occurred less than two weeks after Israel assassinated Hezbollah's top military commander in Beirut, marking the most significant strike since the ceasefire and the first attack on Beirut in five months. Israel says Lebanon is not disarming Hezbollah; Lebanon condemns strikes and demands Israeli withdrawals near the border. U.S. officials believe large-scale Israeli operations are unlikely in the coming weeks.
Read at Axios
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]