US envoy says linking Lebanon to other conflicts 'not in the interest' of the country

US envoy Amos Hochstein said that linking Lebanon's fate to conflicts in the region is "not in the interest" of the country's people.

Speaking from Beirut after his meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Hochstein said that a resolution for the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel was still possible but that it has escalated "out of control as we feared that it could".

"The US wants to end this conflict as soon as possible, and that’s what we’re working on. We are working with the state of Lebanon and Israel to bring a formula to end this conflict once and for all. The commitment that we have is to resolve the conflict based on UN Resolution 1701," he said, referring to the Security Council resolution that ended the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel.