A top U.S. envoy met with Lebanese officials for a second day, continuing an unusually long visit amid cautious optimism over a potential cease-fire agreement in the war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Amos Hochstein, the senior Biden administration envoy, said that there had been progress due to the latest discussion, and that he is going to travel to Israel “to try to bring this to a close if we can.” On Tuesday, Mr. Hochstein said that the gaps between Israel and Hezbollah had “narrowed” in discussions in recent weeks. This is the Biden administration’s last-ditch effort to close a deal before President-elect Donald J. Trump takes office in January. Mr. Hochstein said that the Biden administration would coordinate with the incoming Trump administration over cease-fire efforts in Lebanon, and that he did not think the transfer in power would impact efforts to bring peace. Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/20/world/middleeast/lebanon-cease-fire-amos-hochstein.html
