No breakthrough as U.S. officials return from last pre-election trip to Middle East

The latest trip concluded without "any concrete resolutions to any of the range of issues," including a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, CNN reported.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Two top White House officials have returned to Washington from the Middle East after what was the Joe Biden administration's last effort before the U.S. presidential election to resolve a range of issues surrounding the conflict in the region, U.S. media reported Friday.

The trip by Amos Hochstein, Washington's top envoy tasked with avoiding a war between Israel and Hezbollah, and Brett McGurk, National Security Council coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, concluded without "any concrete resolutions to any of the range of issues," including a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, CNN reported, citing a U.S. official.

While in Israel on Thursday, Hochstein and McGurk met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, as well as other senior Israeli officials, the official said, describing the talks as "substantive" and "constructive."

The particular focus of the meeting was on securing a ceasefire in Lebanon and requesting that Hamas release the hostages without delay, according to the official, who added that Hochstein and McGurk "will not negotiate either issue in public."

Hochstein said in a post on X on Friday that reports that the United States asked Lebanon to declare a unilateral truce with Israel was "false."

Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters at a press availability Thursday that "good progress" has been made with regard to the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which he said "would be the basis of a diplomatic resolution" to the conflict in Lebanon.

"We still have more work to do," Blinken said. ■