LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Israel bombed central Beirut on Monday in what it says is a campaign to destroy the militant group Hezbollah. It's striking in civilian areas deep in the capital and across the country. Hezbollah retaliated with a missile attack on Tel Aviv. And then, before dawn, Israel struck Beirut's southern suburbs just as a White House special envoy arrived in the Lebanese capital in a bid to broker a cease-fire. NPR's Jane Arraf joins us from Beirut to discuss. Good morning, Jane.
JANE ARRAF, BYLINE: Good morning, Leila.
FADEL: So this isn't the envoy's first visit, and so far, Amos Hochstein's been unable to secure a cease-fire. Tell us what's different about this time.
ARRAF: Well, Leila, I guess it's that the stakes are so much higher. So Amos Hochstein just came out of a meeting with Lebanese parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri, and he walked out into the hubbub of waiting reporters. Here's what he said.
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AMOS HOCHSTEIN: We have a real opportunity to bring this conflict to an end. This is a moment of decision-making. I'm here in Beirut to facilitate that decision.
ARRAF: He said he wouldn't take any questions because he didn't want to negotiate in public. But the fact that he came is relevant because he has made clear that even though he's been here several times, he wouldn't have come again unless they were close to an agreement. And, in fact, that's what we've heard, as well, about the main interlocutor here, a politician who is close to parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who's - and Berri is authorized to negotiate for Hezbollah. He said that they essentially accepted the deal, but that, as you know, does not mean that there is a deal. It just means there's agreement on broad points but still some disagreements. And, as mentioned, the stakes are much higher now because of Israel's escalating airstrikes - not just in the southern suburbs or south Lebanon, but increasingly in central Beirut.
FADEL: OK. I mean, like you kind of point out there, we've heard this before, that things are close, that a cease-fire is possible. I mean, what are the chances this time?
ARRAF: Well, everyone wants it, it seems. Israel wants it because it wants to get citizens back to areas on the border. Lebanon wants it because this country is pretty much being destroyed. Hezbollah wants it because Hezbollah really has been severely weakened. But the key here is that this is not a conflict that started a year ago with the war in Gaza. And so any resolution here would be based on a U.N. resolution from 22 years ago between Israel and Lebanon that was never fully implemented. And that one would dramatically change the landscape because it would mean that Hezbollah would pull back to be replaced by the Lebanese Army, and it would mean that these areas along the border could rebuild. But there are a lot of sticking points here that could really hold up any agreement.
FADEL: I mean, as you point out, this isn't a conflict that started yesterday or a year ago. I mean, between Lebanon and Israel, it's been decades; Hezbollah born in the '80s out of such a conflict. What has happened to Lebanon and Hezbollah during this escalation? I mean, the leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed two months ago. What's really changed?
ARRAF: Yeah. Since those two months, there have been ongoing assassinations. There have been just waves of attacks, Israeli airstrikes in parts of Beirut and along the border. And there has been just a steady weakening of Hezbollah. But at the same time, as you've pointed out, Hezbollah is integral or seen as integral to Lebanese security. And it's not going to be giving up a whole lot to get this cease-fire agreement.
FADEL: NPR's Jane Arraf in Beirut. Thank you, Jane.
ARRAF: Thank you, Leila. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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