Hochstein promises to attend Jan. 9 presidential vote

U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein will attend a presidential election session scheduled for January 9, LBCI reported.

The media outlet said that Hochstein has promised Speaker Nabih Berri that he'll attend the session, after the latter invited him in a phone call.

Berri had said he would invite Arab and foreign ambassadors to attend the presidential election session on January 9.

Lebanon has been without a president since Michel Aoun's term ended in October 2022, with neither of the two main blocs -- Hezbollah and its opponents -- having the majority required to elect one, and unable to reach a consensus.

Hochstein alongside Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers are co-chairing a committee that is supposed to monitor a ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel. The committee also includes France, the U.N. peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL), Lebanon, and Israel.

Hochstein led over a year of shuttle diplomacy to broker the ceasefire deal, and his role will be temporary until a permanent civilian co-chair is appointed.