(CNN) – On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting with Amos Hochstein, the special envoy of US President Joe Biden, in Tel Aviv.
During the meeting, Netanyahu said that Israel is committed to bringing about a “fundamental change” on its border with Lebanon, so that displaced residents from areas close to Israel’s border with Lebanon can return to their homes, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.
Amos Hochstein, Special Presidential Coordinator for Global Infrastructure and Energy Security, has been tasked with helping ease tensions between Israel and Lebanon.
The statement added that the Prime Minister informed the envoy that “the return of our citizens in the north and south to their homes is part of the goals of the war and will be achieved politically or militarily.”
The American envoy also met with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Defense Cabinet member Benny Gantz on Thursday.
Galant told Al-Mabouth that Israel needs a “new security reality” on its northern border with Lebanon, according to the Israeli government.
The Minister of Defense spoke of his country’s determination to change the security reality in northern Israel, to enable more than 80,000 displaced Israelis to return to their homes.
Gantz said: “Israel is ready to work closely with the United States and the international community to reach a diplomatic solution, but if a solution is not found, the Israeli army will remove the threat.”
Although the war is intense in Gaza, there have been almost constant skirmishes between Israel and Hezbollah, the armed group that dominates southern Lebanon, since the Hamas attack on October 7.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken begins a trip to the Middle East, where the risk of a regional war looms.
2024-01-04 21:07:49
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