U.S. envoy calls spiraling conflict in Lebanon ‘out of control’

BEIRUT — A top U.S. official said Monday that the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah had “escalated out of control,” and called for the revival of a United Nations resolution that, if enforced fully, could pull the region back from the brink amid Israel’s widening war in Lebanon.

The official, Amos Hochstein, President Joe Biden’s de facto envoy on the Israel-Hezbollah conflict, spoke in Beirut, his first visit to the Lebanese capital since the Israeli military launched a sweeping offensive last month against Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran. The bombing campaign and ground invasion have caused a humanitarian crisis in Lebanon, displacing around a fifth of the population and buckling the country’s health system.

Hochstein told reporters that the only solution to the conflict would be administering the terms of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for Israeli forces to withdraw from Lebanon and for Hezbollah to be in effect disarmed along the countries’ border. He said additional measures were needed to ensure it was carried out “fairly, accurately and transparently.”

Israel, for its part, threatened further strikes on Hezbollah after attacks overnight it said had targeted the armed group’s financial apparatus. The Israeli military said it had struck branches of Al-Qard al-Hasan, a financial institution that has been under U.S. sanctions over accusations that it finances terrorism by Hezbollah.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will depart Monday for another trip to the Middle East that will include a stop in Israel, the State Department said, as the Biden administration renews efforts to bring calm to the region after Israel’s killing of Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, Hezbollah’s ally, last week in the Gaza Strip. Blinken’s 11th trip to the region since the Hamas-led attacks on Israel a year ago comes as Israel is said to be weighing retaliation against Iran for a ballistic missile barrage this month.

Here’s what else to know:

— Hezbollah finances: In Lebanon, where Hezbollah is also a prominent political organization, Al-Qard al-Hasan is a registered charity that is at the heart of the group’s social services network. It operates as a lender and financial services provider for civilians in many areas of Lebanon, where the traditional banking sector is in shambles. Many of its branches are on the ground floors of residential buildings and it is deeply embedded in the Shiite Muslim communities it serves.

— Dismantled spy ring: Israeli authorities said they dismantled a spy network made up of seven Israelis who had been gathering intelligence for Iran for two years, adding that the seven were arrested. They are suspected of photographing and documenting information on Israeli air force and navy installations, Iron Dome missile systems and a power plant, according to a statement by the Israeli police and Shin Bet, the Israeli security agency.

— Intelligence leak: U.S. officials planned to hold a classified briefing Sunday about a leak of U.S. intelligence documents that appear to detail Israel’s plans to retaliate against Iran for a missile salvo this month. The documents, which began circulating Friday on the Telegram app, had been prepared recently by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which is responsible for analyzing images and information collected by U.S. spy satellites.

— Antimissile system: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Monday that the THAAD antiballistic missile system that the United States had sent Israel to help defend against an Iranian attack was now in place. “We have the ability to put it into operation very quickly,” Austin told reporters traveling with him to Ukraine.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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