Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Monday, September 16, 2024
From the Liveblog of
Monday, September 16, 2024
US envoy to Gallant: IDF offensive against Hezbollah won’t return northern residents to their homes
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US envoy Amos Hochstein (left) meets with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in Tel Aviv on September 16, 2024. (Ariel Hermoni/ Defense Ministry)
Visiting US special envoy Amos Hochstein warned Defense Minister Yoav Gallant during their meeting in Tel Aviv earlier today that a major Israeli offensive against Hezbollah will not lead to the return of the evacuated northern residents to their homes.
Instead, it would raise the risk of a prolonged regional war, a source familiar with the matter tells reporters
Hochstein told Gallant that the US supports a diplomatic solution to Hezbollah tensions, be it through a Gaza ceasefire or another path, the source says.
For his part, Gallant told Hochstein that only military action against Hezbollah will allow Israel to return the tens of thousands of evacuated northern residents to their homes.
