US Ambassador to Lebanon Amos Hochstein.Photo: dsnews.ua
The US Diplomatic Mission to Lebanon and an Address to Prime Minister Mikati
US Ambassador to Lebanon Amos Hochstein has addressed Lebanon’s acting Prime Minister Najib Mikati with a proposal for a unilateral ceasefire. This initiative would be aimed at facilitating negotiations between Lebanon and Israel and resuming efforts to resolve the conflict, TimeUkraineIsrael reports, citing Israel’s Channel 9.
Lebanon’s response: risks of capitulation and rejection of the offer
Lebanese officials responded sharply to the US call, noting that such a concession would be tantamount to surrender. A Lebanese official in a commentary for Sky News Arabia rejected any demands for a unilateral ceasefire, stressing that the US had not actually put forward such conditions, but rather had only expressed general intentions to facilitate negotiations.
Negotiations at an impasse: Mikati’s position and escalating tensions
According to representatives of the Prime Minister’s Office, Ambassador Hochstein sought to overcome the stalemate in the de-escalation talks between Lebanon and Israel, but the IDF’s nightly air strikes on southern Beirut have again raised the level of tension. Najib Mikati himself accused Israel of deliberately escalating the conflict, pointing to destructive raids and calls for civilian evacuations, which, in his words, confirm “the Israeli side’s refusal to resolve the conflict peacefully”.
A threat to peace: Israeli actions as a refusal to negotiate
Stressing Israel’s determination to reject peace initiatives, Mikati said that Israel’s position demonstrates a clear choice in favour of destructive actions and violence. According to the Prime Minister, this is confirmed by the information Lebanon has received through diplomatic channels, as well as by regular air attacks on civilian areas of Beirut, which make de-escalation impossible and prevent any ceasefire negotiations.
