Biden envoy Amos Hochstein in Beirut amid Hezbollah-Israel tensions

US energy envoy Amos Hochstein arrived in Beirut on Tuesday for talks with Lebanese officials, The New Arab's sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed has reported, amid frequent skirmishes between Hezbollah and the Israeli army on the Lebanon-Israel border.

Hochstein will meet with Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Najib al-Mikati during his visit, according to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

"The United States does not want to see conflict in Gaza escalating and expanding into Lebanon," Hochstein told a press conference in Beirut.

"Restoring calm along the southern border is of utmost importance to the United States and it should be the highest priority for both Lebanon and Israel," he added.

Hochstein, who was born in Israel, is officially the White House's 'Global Infrastructure and Energy Security' envoy but his responsibilities go beyond the official title.

He has made numerous visits to Lebanon and to Israel, particularly when the two countries were trying to reach a maritime border deal last year.

His arrival in the Lebanese capital comes amid intense clashes between Hezbollah and Israel resulting from a spillover from Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip that has killed 10,000 people since 7 October.

The cross-border skirmishes have kilcled at least 83 people on the Lebanese side, according to a tally from French news agency AFP.

Most of those killed were Hezbollah fighters, but 11 of the dead were civilians, among them a journalist.

Tens of thousands of Lebanese have been displaced from their homes in the border region as a result of the fighting.

The US has pledged unequivocal support for Israel in its war on Gaza but has reportedly tried to restrain Israel from all-out war with Hezbollah.

In a speech made last week Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah blamed the US for Israel's onslaught on Gaza, saying Washington was "entirely responsible", but stepped back from declaring war on Israel.