News: Israel offers US conditions to end Israel-Lebanon war

(Washington/Beirut) There has been no let-up in the fighting between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon, but there are reports that Israel has offered the United States terms to end the Israeli-Lebanese war. U.S. President Joe Biden's top adviser Joe Hochstein and Secretary of State Ken Blinken are in Lebanon and Israel Monday for a new round of diplomatic efforts to broker an end to the conflict.

The U.S. news website Axios reported Sunday that Israel submitted a document to the United States last week laying out conditions for a diplomatic solution to end the war in Lebanon, citing U.S. and Israeli officials.

According to an Israeli official, Israel has requested that the IDF be allowed to engage in "active enforcement" to ensure that Hezbollah does not rearm and rebuild military infrastructure near the southern border. At the same time, Israel also demanded that its air force be allowed to operate freely in Lebanese airspace.

A U.S. official said it was highly unlikely that Lebanon and the international community would agree to Israel's terms.

Neither the White House nor the State Department commented on the report. The Israeli and Lebanese embassies in Washington also had no comment.

Speaking at a news conference Monday in Beirut after meeting with Hezbollah ally Nabi Berri, speaker of the Lebanese parliament, Biden's top adviser, Najib Hochstein, said the basis for a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah is a 2006 U.N. resolution, but it requires more than the commitment of the warring parties.

UN Security Council Resolution 1701, passed unanimously in 2006, stipulates that only Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers can be deployed in southern Lebanon and demands that Israeli troops withdraw from Lebanese territory.

Hochstein said it is not enough for both sides to commit to implementing Resolution 1701. He said the United States would consult with Israel and Lebanon to seek an end to the conflict once and for all.

On the same day, Blinken left for the Middle East to seek to restart Gaza ceasefire talks, the first stop will be Israel.

U.S. Defense Secretary Austin told reporters Monday that the U.S. military has moved the THAAD anti-missile system to Israel and that it is now in place.

Austin would not say whether the Israeli military had deployed THAAD, but he said: "We have the capability to deploy it quickly, and the current pace is in line with our expectations."

Earlier, Biden said that the purpose of providing Israel with the THAAD system and sending about 100 U.S. military personnel is to help defend Israel. Iran launched a massive missile attack on Israel on October 1, firing more than 180 missiles. The US has been urging Israel to calibrate its military response to avoid sparking a wider war in the Middle East.

Israeli forces hit financial institutions linked to Hezbollah

On the war front, the Israel-Lebanon conflict has escalated again. Israel targeted Al-Qard Al-Hassan, a financial institution linked to Hezbollah, late Sunday.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported 11 bombings in the southern suburbs of Beirut, mainly targeting the offices of the Qad Hassan Association. In addition to the southern suburbs of Beirut, the Association's branches in the Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon were also attacked.

One of the bombings took place near Beirut Airport, the main entry point for humanitarian aid and the main evacuation center for civilians fleeing the conflict.

Hezbollah, which the United States says uses the Qad Hassan Association to manage its money, has more than 30 branches across Lebanon, including 15 in densely populated areas in downtown Beirut and its suburbs.

Israeli forces ordered civilians in Beirut to evacuate ahead of the airstrikes, prompting hundreds of civilians to flee their homes. Israeli officials said the attack was aimed at hitting Hezbollah's ability to rebuild and rearm during and after the war.

Lebanese officials estimate that more than 2,400 people have been killed and more than 1.2 million displaced in Lebanon over the past year. Israeli authorities say 59 people were killed in northern Israel and the Golan Heights during the period.

Separately, the Israeli military announced Sunday that a brigade commander had been killed in a battle with Hamas in Jabalia in northern Gaza, and that a battalion commander and two officers had been lightly wounded in the incident.

Israeli army spokesman Hagari said the dead Colonel Daqsa (41), was the commander of the army's 401 armored brigade.

He is one of the most senior commanders killed since the conflict began. Israeli President Herzog called Daqsa a hero and said his death was a "loss for Israel and Israeli society."