US envoy calls for diplomatic solution between Israel and Hezbollah

US special envoy Amos Hochstein has reiterated his country's call for a diplomatic solution to the conflict between Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah militia and Israel.

"We need to find a diplomatic solution that will allow for the Lebanese people to return to their homes in south Lebanon ... as the people of Israel need to be able to return to their homes in their north," Hochstein told reporters in Beirut following a meeting with House Speaker Nabih Berri.

Lebanese caretaker prime minister Nagib Mikati said a ceasefire in Gaza as well as an end to Israeli attacks on Lebanon and the repeated violations of Lebanese sovereignty must be a priority.

"We want peace and stability through adherence to international resolutions," Mikati told the visiting US envoy.

Amos had travelled to the Lebanese capital on Thursday to hold talks with Lebanese officials, following a visit to Israel.

Since the beginning of the Gaza war on October 7, there have been repeated confrontations between the Israeli army and the Hezbollah militia on the border between Israel and Lebanon, with deaths on both sides.

Thousands of people have been displaced in both Lebanon and Israel.

It is the worst escalation since the second Lebanon war in 2006. The US has warned Hezbollah and its ally Iran several times not to open a new front.