Israel and Lebanon are on the verge of a ceasefire agreement to end the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Axios reports, citing two senior Israeli officials and two US officials, UNN writes.
Details
"Israel and Lebanon are on the verge of a ceasefire agreement. (...) The draft ceasefire includes a 60-day transition period during which Israeli troops will withdraw from southern Lebanon, the Lebanese army will be deployed in areas close to the border, and Hezbollah will move its heavy weapons north of the Litani River. The draft agreement includes a US-led oversight committee to monitor implementation and address violations," the newspaper writes.
The United States, according to Axios, has agreed to provide Israel with a letter of assurances that includes support for Israeli military action against imminent threats from Lebanese territory and for action to stop things like Hezbollah's re-establishment of a military presence near the border or smuggling of heavy weapons, Israeli and American officials say.
According to the agreement, Israel will take such actions after consulting with the United States, and if the Lebanese military fails to deal with the threat.
It is noted, citing US and Israeli officials, that the deal was close to being finalized last Thursday when the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Galant.
"The news came as Netanyahu was meeting with US envoy Amos Gogstein, who has been mediating between Israel and Lebanon for a year. Netanyahu was outraged and became even more enraged after the French Foreign Ministry announced that France would comply with the court's decision. This disrupted the negotiations, as Lebanon wanted France to join the supervisory committee to monitor the implementation of the agreement," the newspaper writes.
On Friday, Biden reportedly spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron to try to resolve the issue.
According to the US official, Biden told Macron that Netanyahu was right to be angry and that it was impossible to broker a deal while promising to arrest the head of state of one of the parties.
Macron told Biden that he would like to help, but his Foreign Ministry only made clear its legal obligations to the ICC. France issued a second statement to try to ease tensions, the newspaper said.
On Saturday, Gogstein, according to a source familiar with the matter, sent a message to Netanyahu through Israeli Ambassador to Washington Mike Herzog, in which he threatened to withdraw from the role of mediator if Israel did not take steps toward a deal in the coming days.
Netanyahu held a meeting on Sunday to discuss ceasefire talks, which was attended by several senior officials and intelligence chiefs, Israeli officials said.
"A decision was made to move toward a deal, according to one senior Israeli official, who said an announcement could be made this week. A second Israeli official who attended the meeting said that "the direction is positive," but that several issues remain unresolved and it is not a done deal," the newspaper writes.
Two senior U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the matter said that the parties were getting closer to a deal, but that it had not been finalized.
The Israeli outlet ynetnews also reported that Israel signals its approval of a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon. "Jerusalem has given a preliminary green light to the proposed agreement with Lebanon, subject to final approval by the Cabinet of Ministers; US Representative Gogstein is informing Lebanese officials of Israel's decision," the outlet said.
According to Axios, Netanyahu will need to put any deal to a vote in the Security Cabinet, as Israeli officials say.
On Monday, the Pentagon's top Middle East policy official, Dan Shapiro, will arrive in Israel and meet with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and other Israeli officials.
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Fighting began after Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel on October 8, 2023, and escalated significantly after Israel launched a ground operation in Lebanon on October 1, 2024.