US envoy to visit Saudi Arabia in hopes of using potential Lebanon cease-fire as 'catalyst' for Gaza

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Joe Biden's senior envoy for the Middle East will visit Saudi Arabia this week in the hopes of using diplomatic momentum for a potential Lebanon cease-fire deal to make a push for a similar effort in Gaza, the White House said Monday.

On Tuesday, Brett McGurk will visit the Kingdom, "where he will discuss using the potential of a cease-fire deal in Lebanon as a catalyst for a potential Gaza cease-fire and for the return of hostages and for increased stability in the region," spokesperson Andy Bates told reporters.

The White House earlier acknowledged "significant progress" in efforts to broker a cease-fire between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah group but said more work remains before a pact can be completed.

"We have clearly made significant progress. However, we’re not there yet," a National Security Council spokesperson told Anadolu on condition of anonymity.

"We continue to work to reach a diplomatic resolution to allow civilians on both sides of the Blue Line to be able to safely return to their homes,” he added, referring to the de facto Israeli-Lebanese border.

The Blue Line refers to a demarcation line separating Lebanon from Israel and the Syrian Golan Heights, which are currently occupied by Israel.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby later said the White House believes "the trajectory" of the talks "is going in the right direction" after US envoy Amos Hochstein returned to Washington following his latest round of mediation between Lebanon and Israel.

Still, Kirby cautioned that the agreement "is not done," but he declined to weigh in on specific components of the unfinished agreement "so that I don't in any way sabotage the efforts to actually complete it."

"This remains an important priority for President Biden. That's why we have been working hard to mediate this deal so that people can return to their lives and their homes around the Blue Line, and the rockets and missiles can stop," he added.

The White House comments come after multiple Israeli media reports suggested a cease-fire deal is expected to be announced within two days.

Israeli public broadcaster KAN, citing an Israeli source, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to a US-backed cease-fire with Lebanon.

The report came one day after Hochstein on Sunday threatened to withdraw from mediation efforts aimed at brokering a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Lebanon if Tel Aviv does not accept the US proposal, according to Israeli media.

Israel has escalated its airstrikes in Lebanon against what it claims are Hezbollah targets as part of year-long warfare against the Lebanese group since the start of the Gaza war last year.

More than 3,600 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Lebanon, with more than 15,300 injured and over a million displaced since October 2023, according to Lebanese health authorities.

On Oct. 1, 2024, Israel expanded the conflict by launching a ground invasion of southern Lebanon.