Blinken reports 'good progress' in Lebanon cease-fire talks

U.S. diplomatic chief Antony Blinken on Thursday reported “good progress” in talks on a possible cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The United States is working “very hard” to reach an agreement that would include a withdrawal of the Iranian-backed Lebanese group from the border region with Israel, Blinken said in a press conference.

“Looking at my recent trip to the region and the discussions taking place right now, we have made good progress in this direction,” he argued.

“We still have work to do,” he added, calling for "a diplomatic solution, including a cease-fire."

White House envoys Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Thursday to seek a way out of more than a month of war between Israel and Hezbollah.

According to Israeli media quoting government sources, the plan prepared by the U.S. envoys calls for Hezbollah to withdraw from southern Lebanon, and for the Israeli army to withdraw from the area, with control reverting to the Lebanese Army and U.N. peacekeepers.

Lebanon would be responsible for preventing Hezbollah from rearming with imported weapons, and Israel would retain its right to defend itself in accordance with international law, according to the document.

As Israel's leading military ally, the United States has not called for an immediate cease-fire in Lebanon, and has supported Israel's strikes against Hezbollah, although it is concerned about the fate of civilians.

Blinken once again called for the full application of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which put an end to the war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006, and according to which only peacekeepers and the Lebanese Army should be deployed in southern Lebanon.

Present at his side, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, for his part felt that there was an “opportunity” for Lebanon. “We're very hopeful that we'll see things evolve in Lebanon in the not-too-distant future.”