Berri says there is a 'chance' after meeting with Hochstein

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has said that U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein has carried “ideas” to Lebanon, not a complete “proposal.”

“In turn, we proposed other ideas,” Berri added, in an interview with Asharq al-Awsat newspaper published Friday.

“We did not agree on everything, but we will study his ideas and we will study his ideas and meet again,” the Speaker said.

He added: “I cannot say that I am optimistic or pessimistic, but I say that there is a chance.”

After a visit to Israel, Hochstein on Thursday met top Lebanese officials in Beirut, amid fears that the Israel-Hamas war since early October could spread across the region.

The deadly violence along the Lebanon-Israel border has already displaced tens of thousands of civilians on either side of the frontier.

"We're living in a crisis moment where we would like to see a diplomatic solution and I believe that both sides prefer a diplomatic solution," the U.S. envoy said, adding: "It's our job to get one".

Last week, Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah hailed "a historic opportunity" to help Lebanon regain control of disputed border land, "after this phase (of fighting) ends and after the aggression on Gaza."

The same day, Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said his government "prefers a diplomatic path over a military one," but warned: "We are close to the point of the hour glass turning over."

More than three months of cross-border violence have killed 190 people in Lebanon, including more than 140 Hezbollah fighters and over 20 civilians including three journalists. In northern Israel, nine soldiers and at least four civilians have been killed, according to Israeli authorities.