From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, November 7, 2023
Visiting Beirut, US envoy warns against Israel-Hamas war expanding into Lebanon
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US energy envoy Amos Hochstein urges the restoration of calm on the Israel-Lebanon border during an unannounced visit to Lebanon.
“The United States does not want to see conflict in Gaza escalating and expanding into Lebanon,” Hochstein says during a press conference in Beirut after meeting Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
“Restoring calm along the southern border is of utmost importance to the United States and it should be the highest priority for both Lebanon and Israel,” he adds.
Since Hamas terrorists launched a shock October 7 assault on Israel from the Gaza Strip, Lebanon’s southern border has seen intensifying tit-for-tat exchanges, mainly between Israel and Hezbollah, stoking fears of a broader conflagration.
Both Hamas and Islamic Jihad have also claimed attacks and infiltration attempts from Lebanon, while Israel has been striking in the country’s south to prevent and respond to such attacks.
AFP contributed to this report.
