CNN
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Hezbollah is considering a proposed ceasefire between the United States and Israel, sources told CNN, as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict between Israel and Lebanese militants intensify.
Lisa Johnson, the US ambassador to Lebanon, conveyed the proposal to the Lebanese government on Thursday night, a Lebanese official familiar with the discussions told CNN.
Officials are “optimistic” that Hezbollah will agree to the terms of the deal and will submit a formal response to the latest proposal next Monday, the official said.
“Diplomatic efforts are intensifying now,” the official said.
Israel launched a major offensive in Lebanon in mid-September, in retaliation for months of border attacks that began when Hezbollah attacked Israel in solidarity with Hamas and the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Returning 60,000 civilians to their homes in northern Israel has become a political imperative for the country’s leaders.
The attack dealt a devastating blow to Hezbollah’s leadership and its vast arsenal, killing hundreds of civilians and displacing more than a million people, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
Despite ongoing ceasefire negotiations, Israeli attacks have intensified this week, stepping up artillery fire and ground operations. Most of the targets were in Shiite-majority areas where Hezbollah wields influence, but Israel also attacked buildings housing displaced families well outside the militant group’s control.
At least 43 people, including eight civil defense workers, were killed in Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon on Thursday, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health and General Directorate of Civil Defense.
The General Directorate of Civil Defense announced on the X news agency that its headquarters in the village of Duris near Baalbek had been destroyed by an Israeli attack. The agency said in a statement that the civil defense facility was attacked “while a number of personnel were inside receiving a call for assistance and preparing for immediate intervention to assist civilians.”
The latest proposal, which Ambassador Johnson outlined to Lebanese parliamentary speaker Navi Berri, who is close to Hezbollah, is the first submitted by the United States and Israel since a temporary ceasefire was negotiated at the end of September. Those efforts were upended when Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a massive bombing raid on the southern outskirts of Beirut.
Another Lebanese official familiar with ceasefire discussions told CNN that US President-elect Donald Trump supports the ongoing negotiations being spearheaded by the Biden administration’s special envoy to Lebanon, Amos Hochstein. he said.
U.S. officials continue to pursue a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, according to U.S. and Israeli officials, and those close to Donald Trump say Trump is not clear on ongoing efforts. He has reportedly indicated to administration officials that he has no intention of overturning the deal.
Questions remain about when the deal will be completed. While current U.S. officials say a deal is near, some Israeli officials have told President Trump and his allies that they intend to offer the incoming Trump team a ceasefire as an early gift. are. But other Israeli officials have signaled to the Biden administration that they want to move forward with a deal sooner rather than later.
CNN has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.
The Logan Act prevents Trump from getting involved in U.S. policy before he officially becomes president, especially from negotiating with foreign governments with which the U.S. has disputes. Members of Trump’s transition team are aware of the law.
Some current U.S. officials believe that Trump likely does not want to be seen as putting pressure on Israel immediately after taking office, and that there is a mutual agreement to try to resolve the situation on Israel’s northern border sooner rather than later. Some people point out that there are incentives for Two people involved in the talks said the main issues remain how to force Hezbollah out of southern Lebanon and whether the Lebanese army is prepared to play a more active role there. said.
The U.S. and Israeli proposal aims to achieve a 60-day cessation of fighting and is seen as the basis for a permanent ceasefire, according to the first Lebanese official, with conditions set by the United Nations resolution that ended the Lebanese conflict. 1701, it added. 2006 Israeli War. The resolution stipulates that the only armed groups in Lebanon south of the Litani River are the Lebanese Army and United Nations peacekeeping operations. force.
The proposal also includes Israeli ground forces, which have been operating in southern Lebanon since late September, to retreat behind the internationally recognized border between the two countries.
“The issues mainly focus on the implementation mechanism and the Lebanese army’s role in implementing 1701 south of the Litani River,” the official said, adding that it also deals with smuggling routes through the border. Ta.
The US Embassy in Beirut declined CNN’s request for comment on ceasefire negotiations.
