Hochstein due in Beirut to resume de-escalation efforts
U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein will visit Lebanon this week in an attempt to contain escalating tensions between Hezbollah and Israel, media reports said.
Lebanon has been on a knife's edge since a strike on Beirut's southern suburbs last week killed Hezbollah's top military commander, just hours before the assassination, blamed on Israel, of Hamas' political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
Iran and Hezbollah have vowed revenge, amid fears that retaliatory attacks could spiral into all-out war, with airlines suspending flights to Lebanon and countries imploring foreign nationals to leave.
Hochstein is expected to arrive Wednesday in Beirut to resume negotiations with Lebanese leaders, after a visit to Israel.
"Hochstein will not offer a solution," pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar newspaper said, adding that the American diplomat would rather deliver "intimidating messages" and "threats" to Lebanon.
Hochstein last visited Beirut and Israel in June in an attempt to avoid a further escalation and to negotiate a ceasefire on Lebanon's border.
Source: Naharnet
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