U.S. Envoy Pushes For Cease-Fire In Lebanon

BEIRUT (AP) — A United States envoy has returned to Beirut, where Lebanese officials have tentatively welcomed a proposal for an Israel-Hezbollah cease-fire. There was no such optimism in the Gaza Strip, where the mass looting of aid trucks by armed men worsened an already severe food crisis. Amos Hochstein, the Biden administration’s pointman on Israel and Lebanon, arrived Tuesday as Hezbollah’s allies in the Lebanese government said it had responded positively to the proposal. It’s unclear how close they are to clinching an agreement, which would likely entail both the militants and Israeli ground forces withdrawing from a U.N. buffer zone in southern Lebanon. Israel has requested a stronger enforcement mechanism.