Israel Told US That Its Air Force Should Be Given Free Rein In Lebanon As Part Of Truce Plan: Report

An Israeli F-16 fighter jet flies over southern Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, as seen from Israel. (IMAGE: REUTERS FILE)

Israel told the US that giving its air force freedom to operate in Lebanon and allowing the IDF to engage in ‘active enforcement’ are conditions for arriving at a diplomatic solution in Lebanon.

Israel presented the United States with a document outlining its conditions for a diplomatic resolution to the war in Lebanon. According to news outlet Axios, two US and Israeli officials said that Israel has demanded that IDF forces must be permitted to actively monitor and prevent Hezbollah from rearming, and that they have sought to engage in ‘active enforcement’ to prevent the Lebanese militant group to rebuild its infrastructure close to the border.

Israel has also called for the Air Force to have unrestricted access to Lebanese airspace. A US official stated it is unlikely Lebanon and the international community will accept Israel’s terms.

Israel is pushing for the ‘active enforcement’ of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. This resolution mandates that only the Lebanese Armed Forces can be armed in southern Lebanon.

Since its passage in 2006, the resolution has been mostly ignored. This has allowed Hezbollah to amass significant weapons and defensive systems. Neither UNIFIL peacekeepers nor the LAF have confronted the group.

“We are talking about 1701 with increased enforcement. Our main message is that if the Lebanese army and UNIFIL do more, the IDF will do less and the other way around,” an Israeli official is quoted as saying.

The report surfaced a day before the US special envoy Amos Hochstein landed in Lebanese capital Beirut to push for an end to the conflict between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah. He said the United States was working on a formula to end the conflict.

Hochstein, visiting Lebanon for the second time in two months, was holding talks with Lebanese officials in a new US mediation push to bring peace to the Middle East after Israel killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar last week.

“Both sides simply committing to (UN resolution) 1701 is not enough,” Hochstein told a press conference.

While the resolution remained as a basis for ending the conflict, additional measures were needed to ensure it was implemented “fairly, accurately and transparently”.

“We are working with the government of Lebanon, the state of Lebanon, as well as the government of Israel to get to a formula that brings an end to this conflict once and for all,” he said.

Israel’s assault on Hezbollah has raised fears of a wider regional conflict between Israel and Hezbollah’s patron, Iran.

Continued cross-border tensions culminated in Hezbollah missile attacks on northern Israel in support of the Palestinian militant group Hamas after it staged a bloody killing spree in Israel from Gaza just over a year ago. Israel began a large-scale onslaught on Hezbollah last month.