US Special Envoy Amos Hochstein has presented a new proposal aimed at ending hostilities on the Lebanon-Israel border, with terms that Hezbollah-affiliated media are characterizing as favorable to their position.
The proposal, revealed Tuesday by Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, centers on modifying UN Security Council Resolution 1701. According to the report, the plan would expand international peacekeeping presence north of the Litani River and enhance UNIFIL powers, including authority for surprise inspections without Lebanese approval. The proposal also calls for increased monitoring of Lebanese coastline and airports, along with new border patrol authority along the Lebanon-Syria frontier.
However, Hezbollah has already pushed back against several aspects of the plan. The group refuses any weapons monitoring outside the Resolution 1701 zone and opposes international forces along the Syrian border, citing Lebanese sovereignty concerns.
Lebanese Parliament leadership maintains that Resolution 1701 needs no modification, suggesting resistance to major changes in the security arrangement.
Sources close to the negotiations have highlighted several key sticking points in the discussions: the scope of weapons monitoring zones, international force deployment locations, border patrol authorities, and implementation oversight mechanisms.
Lebanese sources insist any agreement must include equal measures on both sides and guarantees against Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace, territory, and waters.
U.S. officials have not yet publicly commented on the specific details of Hochstein's proposal.
