Israeli cabinet to discuss Hezbollah deal
The Israeli cabinet will meet to discuss approval of a ceasefire to temporarily end hostilities with the Lebanese militia Hezbollah.
The proposed truce would reportedly be for an initial period of 60 days and include the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, according to media reports.
In return, Hezbollah would end its presence south of the Litani River, about 30km (18 miles) north of the international border, and be replaced by Lebanese Army troops.
Even as diplomats suggested on Monday that a deal was close, fierce fighting continued, with Lebanese authorities reporting at least 31 killed in Israeli air strikes on southern Lebanon and Hezbollah firing barrages of rockets at Israel.
Ministers are expected to vote on the deal during the meeting on Tuesday, according to Haaretz. Reuters news agency cited a senior Israeli official as saying the meeting was intended to approve the agreement’s text.
The news agency also reported four senior Lebanese sources as saying the US and France – a long-term ally of Lebanon – were expected to announce a ceasefire imminently.
According to Israel’s Channel 12, the possible deal includes:
A mutual ceasefireAn IDF presence in Lebanon for up to 60 daysThe Lebanese Army replacing the IDF as it withdrawsNo Israeli-occupied buffer zone in southern LebanonThe US heading the five-country committee set up to monitor implementation of the ceasefireThe Lebanese government overseeing arms purchases and production in the country
In addition, the US would issue a letter recognising Israel’s right to attack Lebanon if Hezbollah is perceived to be in violation of the agreement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is said to have agreed to the deal “in principle”. The Lebanese deputy speaker of parliament, Elias Bou Saab, told Reuters that there were now “no serious obstacles” to a ceasefire “unless Netanyahu changes his mind”.
The French presidency said on Monday evening negotiations had “significantly advanced” and urged Israel and Hezbollah to “quickly seize this opportunity”.
“We believe we’ve reached this point where we’re close,” US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. But he added: “We’re not there yet.”
But Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, spoke out against a ceasefire.
He said Israel should press on with the war until “absolute victory”, and, addressing Netanyahu on X, said: “It is not too late to stop this agreement!”
Lebanese authorities have said any ceasefire deal should be limited to the terms of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel.
The resolution includes the withdrawal of Hezbollah’s fighters and weapons in areas between the Blue Line – the unofficial frontier between Lebanon and Israel – and the Litani river, about 30km (18 miles) from the boundary with Israel.
Israel says that was never fully respected, while Lebanon says Israeli violations included military flights over Lebanese territory.
Though negotiations between Israel and Hezbollah appeared to be bearing fruit, parallel talks to end the war in Gaza have been deadlocked for months. This month, Qatar withdrew from its role as a mediator between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group Israel is fighting in Gaza.
The war in Lebanon began on 8 October last year when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel in support of the deadly Hamas attack a day earlier.
Israel’s stated goal is to allow the return of about 60,000 residents who have been displaced from communities in northern Israel because of Hezbollah attacks.
In September, Israel launched a major escalation of the war against the militia, destroying much of its infrastructure and weapons, and killing its leader Hassan Nasrallah and other senior figures.
In Lebanon, more than 3,750 people have been killed and at least 15,600 injured since October 2023, according to Lebanese authorities, with more than one million forced from their homes.
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