US envoy arrives in Israel for talks to defuse potential war with Hezbollah

JERUSALEM

US Special Envoy Amos Hochstein arrived in Israel on Monday amid efforts to prevent a full-scale war between Tel Aviv and the Lebanese group Hezbollah.

Hochstein is scheduled to meet with top Israeli officials, including President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth said.

His talks will focus on reaching a political solution to avoid the outbreak of a full-blown war with Hezbollah, the newspaper said.

Tensions have spiked along the Israeli-Lebanese border amid an exchange of attacks between Hezbollah and Israeli forces as Tel Aviv pressed ahead with an offensive against Gaza, which has killed over 41,200 people since last October following a cross-border attack by Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio