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Smoke rises following an Israeli strike on a target between the villages of Ghandourieh and Froun in southern Lebanon late on September 6, 2024, amid the ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters.  Ammar Ammar, AFP/File

Smoke rises following an Israeli strike on a target between the villages of Ghandourieh and Froun in southern Lebanon late on September 6, 2024, amid the ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (Photo by Ammar Ammar / AFP)

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CONFLICT

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1732027586096AFP__20240907__36FK3FQ__v1__Preview__LebanonIsraelPalestinianConflict.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Smoke rises following an Israeli strike on a target between the villages of Ghandourieh and Froun in southern Lebanon late on September 6, 2024, amid the ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters.  Ammar Ammar, AFP/File"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Smoke rises following an Israeli strike on a target between the villages of Ghandourieh and Froun in southern Lebanon late on September 6, 2024, amid the ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters.  <em>Ammar Ammar, AFP/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>BEIRUT, Lebanon-- US special envoy Amos Hochstein said during a visit to Beirut on Tuesday that an end to the Israel-Hezbollah war was &quot;now within our grasp&quot; as he met with officials to discuss a truce plan largely endorsed by Lebanon.</p><p>The United States and France have spearheaded efforts for a ceasefire in the war, which escalated in late September after nearly a year of deadly exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israeli troops.</p><p>Israel expanded the focus of its operations from Gaza to Lebanon, vowing to secure its northern border to allow tens of thousands of people displaced by the cross-border fire to return home.</p><p>Since the clashes began with Hezbollah&#x27;s attacks on Israel, more than 3,510 people in Lebanon have been killed, according to authorities there.</p><p>Most of the fatalities have been recorded since late September, among them more than 200 children, according to the UN.</p><p>Following a meeting on Tuesday with Hezbollah-allied parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri, who has led mediation on behalf of the group, Hochstein told reporters he saw &quot;a real opportunity&quot; to end the fighting.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/11/17/israel-hits-gaza-and-lebanon-in-deadly-strikes-1804">READ: Israel hits Gaza and Lebanon in deadly strikes</a></div><p>&quot;I&#x27;m here in Beirut to facilitate that decision, but it&#x27;s ultimately the decision of the parties... It is now within our grasp,&quot; he added.</p><p>Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem had been expected to give a speech, but the group postponed the address shortly after it was announced.</p><p>A Lebanese official said Monday that his government had &quot;a very positive view&quot; of the truce plan, while another said Lebanon had been waiting for Hochstein &quot;so we can review certain outstanding points with him&quot;.</p><p>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel would continue to conduct military operations against Hezbollah even if a ceasefire was reached.&quot;We will be forced to ensure our security in the north (of Israel) and to systematically carry out operations against Hezbollah&#x27;s attacks... even after a ceasefire&quot;, to keep the group from rebuilding, he told parliament.</p><p>Netanyahu also said there was no evidence Hezbollah would respect any ceasefire.</p><div><strong>- Deaths in Lebanon and Israel -</strong></div><script data-wid="auto" type="text/javascript" src="https://content.viralize.tv/display/?zid=AAEyze-tm4MR6kEa&amp;cid=ABQk7nPamg_1GktL&amp;activation=click&amp;vip_mode=playing&amp;vip_position=bottom-right"></script><p>Hezbollah began its cross-border attacks in support of its ally Hamas following the Palestinian group&#x27;s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the war in Gaza.</p><p>Hamas&#x27;s attack -- the deadliest in Israel&#x27;s history -- resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.</p><p>The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said the death toll from the ensuing war had reached 43,972 people, a majority civilians. The United Nations considers the figures reliable.</p><p>Since expanding its operations to Lebanon in September, Israel has conducted extensive bombing campaigns primarily targeting Hezbollah strongholds there, though some strikes have hit areas outside the Iran-backed group&#x27;s control.</p><p>The UN said Tuesday that more than 200 children had been killed in Lebanon since Israel escalated its campaign.</p><p>&quot;Despite more than 200 children killed in Lebanon in less than two months, a disconcerting pattern has emerged: their deaths are met with inertia from those able to stop this violence,&quot; said James Elder, spokesman for the UN children&#x27;s agency UNICEF.</p><p>Israel has also sent ground troops into Lebanon, while Hezbollah has continued to launch projectiles into Israel almost daily.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/11/17/watch-building-leveled-as-israel-launches-fresh-strikes-on-beirut-114">WATCH: Building leveled as Israel launches fresh strikes on Beirut</a></div><p>On Tuesday, Israel&#x27;s military said some 40 projectiles were fired into central and northern Israel, lightly wounding four people.</p><p>That followed salvos on Monday that killed one woman in Shfaram and injured 10 people there and five in Israel&#x27;s commercial hub of Tel Aviv.</p><p>Hezbollah said Tuesday it had launched &quot;a salvo of missiles&quot; at the Glilot military intelligence base in the Tel Aviv suburbs.</p><p>It also said it attacked Israeli troops in four locations in southern Lebanon, including near the flashpoint village of Khiam.</p><div><strong>- &#x27;Everyone&#x27;s interest&#x27; -</strong></div><p>State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Monday that the United States had shared ceasefire proposals with both Lebanon and Israel.</p><p>He added that the full implementation of UN Resolution 1701, which ended the last Hezbollah-Israel war of 2006, was &quot;what we believe is in everyone&#x27;s interest&quot;.</p><p>Under the resolution, Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers should be the only armed forces deployed in south Lebanon, where Hezbollah holds sway.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/11/16/israel-pummels-south-beirut-as-lebanon-mulls-truce-plan-2219">READ: Israel pummels south Beirut as Lebanon mulls truce plan</a></div><p>A Lebanese official said US ambassador Lisa Johnson had discussed the truce plan last week with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and with parliamentary speaker Berri.</p><p>If an agreement was reached, he said, the United States and France would issue a joint statement, followed by a 60-day truce during which Lebanon would redeploy troops in the southern border area.</p><p>However, Eyal Pinko, a retired Israeli navy commander and senior research fellow at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar Ilan University near Tel Aviv, said hopes for a speedy ceasefire were &quot;wishful thinking&quot;.</p><p>&quot;The most important thing that is required is that there will be no Hezbollah 30 to 40 kilometers from the border so that Israel can protect itself if there is a ground maneuver,&quot; Pinko said.</p><p>&quot;Iran and Hezbollah would not accept that.&quot;</p><p>He cautioned that Israel was still &quot;very far from&quot; bringing southern Lebanon under control, warning of &quot;more surprises&quot; to come.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

<p>US special envoy Amos Hochstein said during a visit to Beirut on Tuesday that an end to the Israel-Hezbollah war was "now within our grasp" as he met with officials to discuss a truce plan largely endorsed by Lebanon.</p>

US special envoy Amos Hochstein said during a visit to Beirut on Tuesday that an end to the Israel-Hezbollah war was "now within our grasp" as he met with officials to discuss a truce plan largely endorsed by Lebanon.

US envoy says end to Israel-Hezbollah war 'within grasp'

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US envoy says end to Israel-Hezbollah war 'within grasp'

Agence France-Presse,

Laure Al Khoury

Published November 20, 2024 01:03 AM PHT

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Najib Mikati

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