Lebanon: US envoy Hochstein says war between Hezbollah and Israel can be avoided

US envoy Amos Hochstein said on Wednesday he believed an all-out war between Hezbollah and Israel was avoidable.

He insisted, however, that Israel and Hamas need to reach a peace agreement in Gaza without delay, as it would help to enable a diplomatic resolution in Lebanon.

Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group, has been engaged in cross-border clashes with Israel since 8 October, a day after the outbreak of the war on Gaza.

While the clashes remained contained to border areas for months, tensions have escalated in recent weeks.

After a rocket fell in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, killing 12 civilians, Israel accused Hezbollah of carrying out the attack, although the latter denied responsibility.

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