Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in talks to de-escalate border tensions

An Israeli lawmaker has said his government was seeking to use diplomatic channels to push Lebanon's Hezbollah away from the border to avoid a war flaring there.

Yuli Edelstein, chairman of the Israeli parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, said on Wednesday that Israel was determined to bring an end to Hezbollah's presence on the border with Israel.

"This is a goal, I think, that we are trying to reach, at this stage, through diplomatic channels," he told Reuters, saying the alternative could be another war.

Throughout its war on Gaza, Israel has also been trading fire since October 7 on the Lebanese frontier with Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran.

The border violence is the worst since Israel and Hezbollah fought a month-long war in 2006. More than 120 people have been killed on the Lebanese side since October 7, mostly Hezbollah fighters but also including more than a dozen civilians, according to an AFP tally.

Israel has said Beirut would be turned "into Gaza" if Hezbollah starts another all-out war.

'Unrealistic' ideas

Sources familiar with Hezbollah's thinking have said their attacks so far have been designed to avoid an all-out conflict.

A senior Lebanese official told Reuters that US and French officials had visited Beirut to discuss ideas to provide Israel with security assurances based on limiting Hezbollah's role on the border. He did not say when the visits took place.

The official, who is close to Hezbollah, said the ideas were "unrealistic". The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks were confidential.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday said that Israel is open to reaching an agreement with Hezbollah if it includes a “safe zone” along the border along with other security guarantees.

Al Arabiya TV and its Al Hadath channel quoted unnamed sources as saying: “Israel has agreed that Hezbollah would keep some monitoring sites that would be shared with the Lebanese Army and French forces in south Lebanon, specifically south of the Litani River”.

“Israel has stressed that the Lebanese Army should deploy on all points on Lebanon’s border along with French forces,” the sources added.

The sources also quoted Israel as saying that weapons are expected to only be in the hands of the Lebanese Army in the area south of the Litani River and suggested that US forces would deploy on the Israeli side of the border.

The aim is to implement an agreement after the war on Gaza comes to an end.

Hezbollah not prepared to listen

Hezbollah, which operates as a political party and has a heavily armed militia, is Lebanon's most powerful group.

In an apparent reference to Israeli border demands, senior Hezbollah politician Hassan Fadlallah said on Wednesday that Israel was "in no position to determine the future of others".

"These are proposals that are not on (Hezbollah's) agenda or the country's agenda, and no one has spoken about them with us, and we are not prepared to even listen to them," he said in public remarks, without giving details of the proposals.

Front remains 'open'

Since border violence flared, citizens on both sides have fled their homes. In Israel, residents fear Hezbollah could stage a raid similar to the cross-border rampage launched by Hamas fighters on October 7.

Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Qassem said on Tuesday the Lebanese front would "remain open all the while the aggression on Gaza continues".

Edelstein said Israel did not want to open a new front in the north, adding: "We will if it will be necessary, if they will attack us - Hezbollah forces will attack us - and then we will have no choice."

Israel's defence minister has referred to a UN Security Council resolution 1701 passed at the end of the 2006 war, which included saying no armed factions should be present between Lebanon's Litani River and the border. The river is several kilometres from the border.

French officials said Paris wanted to listen to both sides and push for the full application of the resolution.

Asked how far Hezbollah should be pushed back, Edelstein said: "I won't get into tactical details, but we are definitely talking about miles."

He also said it was unlikely Israeli forces would once again seek to occupy southern Lebanon, like they did for 18 years until withdrawing in 2000.

He said he thought there could be some kind of agreement, adding that the alternative was leaving Lebanon "in ruins". He said Hezbollah "will have to think twice before breaking these agreements, before challenging us on that."