Middle East crisis: US leads new diplomatic channel to end hostilities in Lebanon, Gaza

I know many look at the world today and react with despair – I don’t.

I recognize the challenges we face – from Ukraine to Gaza to Sudan and beyond.

But maybe because of all I’ve seen and all we’ve done together throughout the decades, I have hope. I know there’s a way forward.

— President Biden (@POTUS) September 25, 2024

Meanwhile, Israeli military chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi has said that there is a possibility that Israel’s military is gathering momentum and it could add a ground incursion of Lebanon in its expanding campaign against Hezbollah.

The deal being anchored by the US would include the release of hostages held by the Palestine based militant group Hamas in a war against Israel which started on October 7 last year. Violence has gripped the region since that time when Hamas attacked communities in southern Israel and killed 1,200 people while taking 250 hostages.

Smoke rises from Israeli airstrikes on villages in the Nabatiyeh district, seen from the southern town of Marjayoun, Lebanon, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024.(AP Photo)

The attack led to retaliation by Israel which has killed close to 41,000 people in Palestine, opening up a full blown conflict between the two countries.

According to a Reuters report, people familiar with the matter said “Talks were taking place on the sidelines of the General Assembly with the aim of giving an opportunity for a political settlement on the Lebanese-Israeli border and reviving a hostage deal on Gaza.”

The President Biden administration is leaving no stone unturned in brokering a truce between the warring factions as it could also act as a grand farewell to Joe Biden.