US envoy has 'very constructive' talks with Lebanon's house speaker

Visiting US envoy Amos Hochstein said he had "very constructive talks" with Lebanon House Speaker Nabih Berri, who is a close ally of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement, regarding the war in the country.

The US official said that Lebanon and Israel must implement "fairly, utterly, and transparently" the decades-old UN Resolution 1701.

"We have to put things in place that will allow for confidence that it is going to be implented for everyone," Hochstein told reporters after meeting Berri.

"Tying Lebanon’s future to other conflicts in the region was not and is not in the interest of the Lebanese people," Hochstein said.

He added that the United States wants to end the current conflict “as soon as possible.”

UN Resolution 1701 gives sole authority to the Lebanese army and UN peacekeeping troops for areas south of the Litani River, which separates Lebanon from the rest of the country.

Hezbollah's armed presence south of the Litani violates the resolution. Israeli forces crossed the border into southern Lebanon on October 1 to go after the militants and their "terrorist infrastructure."

In remarks made to the Al Arabia television on Sunday, Berri said that there is a consensus among the Lebanese on implementing Resolution 1701.

Israel insists on continuing their airstrikes and ground campaign in Lebanon for the time being. The army says it wants to erase Hezbollah's ability to attack targets in Israel with drones and rockets and also enable displaced residents to return to northern Israel.