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Sources say US is working on 60-day ceasefire to end war in Lebanon

Harry October 30, 2024

Timour Azhari, Maya Gebeily and James Mackenzie
| Reuters

BEIRUT/JERUSALEM, Oct 29 (Reuters) – U.S. mediators are working on a proposal to end hostilities between the Israeli military and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, starting with a 60-day ceasefire, two sources with knowledge of the talks told Reuters on Wednesday. .

The two-month period will be used to complete the full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, adopted in 2006 to demilitarize southern Lebanon, said sources, including a person familiar with the talks and a senior diplomat working on Lebanon. It does not belong to the Lebanese state.

The U.S. Embassy in Lebanon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Resolution 1701 It became the cornerstone of talks aimed at ending the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which broke out in parallel with the war last year. war in Gaza and has increased dramatically in the last five weeks.

US presidential ambassador Amos HochsteinThe Prime Minister, who is working on the new proposal, told reporters in Beirut earlier this month that better mechanisms for enforcement were needed as neither Israel nor Lebanon had fully implemented the decision.

The 60-day ceasefire replaces a proposal made last month by the United States and other countries that called for a 21-day ceasefire as a prelude to the full entry into force of Article 1701, the senior diplomat and source briefed on the talks told Reuters.

But both warned the deal could still fail. “There is a serious effort to achieve a ceasefire, but it is still difficult to implement it,” the diplomat said. he said.

One element Israel is still working on is the ability to “directly enforce” the ceasefire through airstrikes or other military operations against Hezbollah if it violates the agreement, the person briefed on the talks said.

Israel’s Channel 12 television reported that Israel is seeking a strengthened version of UN Resolution 1701 that would allow Israel to intervene if it feels its security is threatened.

Lebanese officials said Lebanon had not yet been officially informed about the proposal and could not comment on its details.

The ceasefire request for Lebanon comes days before the US presidential election and in parallel with a similar event. Diplomatic move in Gaza.

Axios reported that Hochstein and U.S. presidential adviser Brett McGurk will travel to Israel on Thursday to finalize a deal on Lebanon that could be implemented within a few weeks, according to three unnamed sources.

According to the Axios report, Hochstein and McGurk are expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.

Israeli and US officials believe Hezbollah is finally willing to cut ties with Hamas in Gaza after some of the blows the Lebanese group has faced in the past two months. to contain The killing of leader Hassan Nasrallah, according to an Axios report.

The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Timour Azhari, Maya Gebeily and Laila Bassam in Beirut; James Mackenzie in Jerusalem; Chandni Shah in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Schmollinger, Lincoln Feast and Ros Russell)