U.S. Special Envoy Amos Hochstein said Wednesday he will travel to Tel Aviv to continue efforts aimed at finalizing a ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel. Hochstein’s remarks came after a second round of talks in Beirut with Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, where he reported “additional progress” in efforts to end more than a year of hostilities between the two sides.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Hochstein confirmed his intention to move the negotiations forward with Israeli officials, announcing that he would travel to Israel later this evening.

"The meeting today built on yesterday's discussions and made further progress," he said, without elaborating on the specifics of the discussions.

Asked about unresolved issues and the potential impact of the U.S. presidential transition, Hochstein emphasized the need for discretion in the talks.

“I know this will be disappointing to a lot of people here, but I’m not going to negotiate this in public,” he stated. 

While details on the negotiations remain scarce, Hochstein assured that the incoming U.S. administration would be fully briefed and that President Joe Biden’s commitment to a smooth transfer of power would not interfere with the truce talks.

“There is one president at a time,” he said, expressing confidence that the transition would not disrupt the ongoing diplomatic efforts.

Hochstein is set to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday to further discuss the ceasefire deal, according to Israeli officials cited by Axios reporter Barak Ravid.