Report: Hochstein to return to region as Gaza truce nears

U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein is supposed to return to Beiut and Tel Aviv to prepare for arrangements aimed at restoring calm on the Lebanese-Israeli border, ahead of an expected Israeli declaration of the end of military operations in Gaza, a media report said.

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will declare victory over the Hamas Movement, and the Americans want this step to be the beginning of a long-term truce in Gaza that would include an exchange of prisoners and a sustainable ceasefire,” ad-Diyar newspaper quoted sources as saying.

The Americans believe that Netanyahu’s declaration can pave the way for “practical steps on Lebanon’s front that would begin by de-escalating the situation towards a ceasefire and engaging in new understandings under Resolution 1701,” the sources added.