@middleeasteye: Israel told the US it wants Hezbollah pushed back 9.6 kilometers (6 miles) from its border, saying that Israel couldn’t accept tens of thousands of its citizens being internally displaced because of border clashes, Axios reported. The US has no direct public channel with Hezbollah, which is the largest political and military force in Lebanon, but has been negotiating behind the scenes through intermediaries to try and deescalate tensions. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Chief Yoav Gallant delivered the message to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin during his visit to Israel. Israel had publicly demanded Hezbollah withdraw 30 kilometers (18 miles) to the Litani river in the north, as required by UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between the two. Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged near daily fire since 7 October. According to Axios, Austin asked Israel to allow the US time and space to make diplomatic efforts. Netanyahu and Gallant said they wanted to see progress in “the next few weeks”.

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Tuesday 19 December 2023 12:44:46 GMT