Amos Hochstein's Diplomatic Mission in Beirut: A Focus on De-escalation Amid Tensions

A report by Toni Mrad, English adaptation by Nadine Sassine 

Amos Hochstein's visit to Beirut continues to dominate discussions. According to reliable sources, his primary objective during this visit is not merely to cease hostilities on the southern front, which hinges on the cessation of hostilities in Gaza. Rather, his focus lies on promoting de-escalation and maintaining the current rules of engagement to prevent escalation into a full-scale war.

Hezbollah's response to Hochstein was clear: Israel must be deterred from committing large-scale bombings. Hezbollah added that it is not working to start a full-scale war and remains in a support and backing role for Gaza.

According to Israeli media, Hochstein left Beirut and headed back to Israel, although there has been no official US confirmation. Some observers believe he carries a message from Lebanon to Israel. The Israeli site Walla reported that Hochstein's return is linked to delivering a stern message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for accusing the United States of delaying arms transfers to Israel.

Regardless of the reasons for Hochstein's return to Israel, if true, what concerns Lebanon is whether there will be a war. However, it is clear that US-Israeli relations are not in a good state.

“When Secretary Blinken ( U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken) was recently here in Israel, we had a candid conversation, I said I deeply appreciated the support the U.S. has given Israel from the beginning of the war. But I also said something else, I said it's inconceivable that in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunitions to Israel. Israel, America's closest ally, fighting for its life, fighting against Iran and our other common enemies.