US envoy says wants end to Israel-Hezbollah conflict 'as soon as possible'

US envoy Amos Hochstein has said it is not in Lebanon's interests to link its fate to other conflicts, saying the United States wants to end the Israel-Hezbollah war "as soon as possible".

Hochstein arrived in Beirut earlier for talks with Lebanese officials on conditions for a ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, as Israel expanded its air campaign on the group's assets overnight. Hochstein also said that a UN Security Council resolution that ended the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah conflict would be the basis of a new ceasefire, but would require more than just commitments from the warring parties.