Senators Chris Coons and Richard Blumenthal met Lebanese
officials on a tour of the region, which has been gripped by
conflict following Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel, which
responded with a heavy air, land, and sea assault on Gaza.
In Lebanon, Israeli shelling has killed nearly 190 Hezbollah
fighters and 50 civilians. A dozen Israeli troops and five
Israeli civilians have been killed in northern Israel, and tens
of thousands have been displaced on each side.
"The next few weeks are a real hinge point —for Gaza, for
Israel, for Lebanon, for the Red Sea, for Iraq," said Coons,
adding that a ceasefire for Gaza could have "positive
consequences" for Lebanon.
"It could create that window of 45 days, quite likely during
Ramadan as well, when the next steps can be taken to begin to
build the confidence that could lead to a full implementation of
(United Nations Security Council resolution) 1701," he said.
That 2006 resolution ended the last major conflict between
Hezbollah and Israel and says no armed factions should be
present in a swathe of south Lebanon except the Lebanese army.
FILE - Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Ct., speaks with reporters on Capitol Hill, October 4, 2023, in Washington.
France submitted a written proposal to Lebanon earlier this
month on a possible diplomatic resolution. U.S. envoy Amos
Hochstein has also been working on a plan, which Coons said he
hoped was "making steady progress" without sharing further
details. He said there was an "urgency" for both sides to
de-escalate.
The senators said they told Lebanese Speaker of Parliament
Nabih Berri, who heads the Hezbollah-allied Amal Movement, that
Israel "is not bluffing" about an offensive.
"It's not just rhetoric. It will act. And we hope that that
message was conveyed to Hezbollah," Blumenthal said.