Hezbollah Rejects US Proposal To Defuse Tensions On Israeli Borders, But Remains Open To Diplomacy

JAKARTA - The Hezbollah militant group rejected Washington's initial proposal to ease tensions on the border with Israel, including to withdraw its troops, but remain open to diplomacy with the United States to avoid a more devastating war, Lebanese officials said.

US envoy Amos Hochstein led diplomatic efforts to restore security on the Israeli-Lebanon border, as the region was strained by the Hamas-Israeli war in the Gaza Strip.

"Hezbollah is ready to listen," said a senior Lebanese official familiar with the group's thoughts, stressing the militant group views Hochstein's idea of a visit to Beirut last week as unrealistic.

Labeled as a terrorist organization by Washington, Hezbollah was not directly involved in negotiations, three Lebanese officials and a European diplomat said.

In contrast, Hochstein's idea was continued by Lebanese mediators, they said.

One of the suggestions that emerged last week was to reduce hostilities on the border as Israel moves towards lower-intensity operations in Gaza, three Lebanese sources and a US official said.

A proposal was also submitted to Hezbollah for its fighters to move as far as 7 km (4 miles) from the border, two of the three Lebanese officials said.

This will bring the fighters closer than Israel's public demand to withdraw 30 km (19 miles) to the Litani River set out in UN resolution in 2006.

Hezbollah rejected the two ideas and considered them unrealistic, the Lebanese officials and diplomats said.

Hezbollah is known to continue firing rockets at Israel, until there is a full ceasefire of Gaza. The group's rejection of Hochstein's proposal has never been previously reported.

Despite Hezbollah's refusal and rocket attacks to support Gaza, the group's openness to diplomatic contact signifies a reluctance to a broader war, one Lebanese official and security source said, even after an Israeli attack reached Beirut on January 2, causing a senior Hamas leader to die.

Israel also said it wanted to avoid war, but both sides said they were ready for war if needed. Israel warned it would respond more aggressively if an agreement to keep border areas safe was not reached.

Despite rejecting the US proposal last week, Hezbollah has signaled that after the Gaza war ends, they will be open to Lebanon to negotiate a mediated deal on disputed territory at the border, three Lebanese officials said, a possibility alluded to by Hezbollah's leader in a speech this month.

"After the war in Gaza, we are ready to support Lebanese negotiators to turn threats into opportunities," a senior official Hezbollah told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity, not discussing specific proposals.

Separately, Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy, in response to a question at a press conference on Wednesday, said there was "still a diplomatic opportunity" to expel Hezbollah from the border.

It is known, Hochstein has a track record of the success of mediation between Lebanon and Israel. In 2022, he brokered an agreement describing maritime boundaries of the two disputed countries, with behind-the-scenes approval from Hezbollah.

Hochstein hopes "we are all on both sides of the border" can achieve solutions that allow Lebanon and Israel to live in guaranteed security, he said.