U.S. Envoy to Visit Beirut for Ceasefire Talks

Beirut, Nov 18 – A senior U.S. official is expected to arrive in Beirut on Tuesday to continue efforts to broker a ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, sources said on Monday.

Amos Hochstein, the U.S. envoy overseeing ceasefire negotiations, will meet with Lebanese officials, including Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who is backed by Hezbollah to handle the truce discussions. This visit follows a new U.S. ceasefire proposal delivered to Berri last week.

The urgency of the ceasefire talks has grown as Israeli airstrikes in two Beirut neighborhoods on Sunday killed at least six people, including a senior Hezbollah official. This marked Israel’s first airstrikes in central Beirut in a month, signaling a sharp escalation in the conflict.

The U.S.-led diplomacy has intensified as Israeli forces continue their offensive, and Lebanon now awaits Berri’s official response to the truce proposal. Both sides are under immense pressure to find a way to de-escalate the situation, with civilians bearing the brunt of the violence.(Reuters)