JERUSALEM, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said Wednesday that any ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah must preserve Israel's "freedom of action" in Lebanon, hours before the expected arrival of U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein for talks aimed at ending the yearlong cross-border conflict.
Hochstein had just concluded two days of meetings in Beirut with key officials, including Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who is endorsed by Hezbollah to negotiate on their behalf. The envoy reported "additional progress" in the talks.
Speaking with foreign diplomats in Jerusalem, Sa'ar said his country has "worked with the Americans regarding a possible arrangement in Lebanon" and noted that the White House believes such an agreement "is possible."
"We would like to reach an agreement that will stand the test of time," Sa'ar said, emphasizing that Israel would agree only to a deal that allows it to act militarily in Lebanon if its security is threatened.
"We cannot pay the price in our security, in the security of our citizens, for their lack of sovereignty or concessions of sovereignty," he said. "In any agreement, we will have to maintain our freedom to act if there are violations."
Sa'ar added that Israel's large-scale ground campaign destroyed "huge (military) infrastructures" belonging to Hezbollah forces in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.
Israeli strikes have killed at least 3,544 people, both civilians and combatants, in Lebanon, with most of them killed after the start of the ground offensive in early October, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
On the Israeli side, at least 116 people have been killed by Hezbollah strikes in Israel and in combat in southern Lebanon, according to official Israeli figures. ■
