Top U.S. officials have returned to the Middle East to try to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah, with Lebanese Prime Minister Naguib Mikati expressing cautious optimism about a potential deal.
President Biden’s Middle East coordinator, Brett McGurk, and Amos Hochstein, who is leading negotiations on the conflict with Hezbollah, are in Israel for talks with the country’s authorities, though it was not immediately clear. Can any progress be made ahead of the US presidential election, next week.
Israel has launched widespread airstrikes in Lebanon and carried out ground incursions into areas near the border since the conflict escalated five weeks ago.
At least 2,200 people have died in the country and 1.2 million have been displaced, most of them Shia Muslims, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry, exacerbating sectarian tensions and adding pressure to public services already struggling after years of severe economic crisis pressure.
The Israeli government says its goal is to change the security situation along the border and ensure the return of some 60,000 residents displaced by Hezbollah rocket, missile and drone attacks.
On Wednesday, Israeli public broadcaster Kan released a draft agreement it said was drafted by Washington and dated Saturday, aiming to initially achieve a 60-day ceasefire.
Israel will withdraw its troops from Lebanon within the first week of the deal, and Lebanese troops will be deployed along the border. During the suspension, Hezbollah will end its armed presence in the region.
The goal is to pave the way for the full implementation of UN Resolution 1701, which ended the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006.
Among other things, the text calls for the withdrawal of all armed groups, including Hezbollah, from areas south of the Litani River, 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the border. Only United Nations peacekeepers known as “Unifll” and the Lebanese army are allowed there.
However, Israel does not trust the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers to keep Hezbollah away from its borders and reportedly wants to be given the right to fight the group if needed after the war is over. The request is likely to be rejected by Lebanese authorities, who say Resolution 1701 should not be amended.
When asked about the documents contained in the Kan report, White House national security spokesman Sean Savitt said that “many reports and drafts are circulating” and “do not reflect the current status of negotiations.” However, he did not answer a question about whether the text was the basis for further negotiations.
Hezbollah, a powerful militia and political party armed and financially backed by Iran, faces domestic pressure to reach a deal, especially from critics who say it is dragging Lebanon into a war that is inconsistent with the conflict of national interests.
Israeli bombing kills most of Hezbollah leaders Including longtime sheikh Hassan Nasrallahand caused widespread damage to the southern Lebanon, eastern Bekaa Valley, and southern Beirut suburbs controlled by the organization.
The group began its activities the day after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 last year and has long said its attacks would continue unless there was a ceasefire in Gaza. It is unclear whether it is willing to change its stance.
Naim Qasim gave his first speech as Hezbollah’s new secretary-general on Wednesday, in which he said the group would continue to implement its war plans under his leadership but that an agreement could be reached under certain conditions. So far, he said, Israel has not put forward any proposals that could be discussed.
When he spoke, Israel Launches heavy air strikes on historic city of BaalbekIn the Bekaa Valley, this may indicate an expansion of military operations against the group in strategically important areas close to the Syrian border.
Hours later, Mikati told Lebanese Al Jazeed television that he had become “cautiously optimistic” after a phone call with Hochstein, who visited Lebanon last week, adding that “in the coming hours or days” A ceasefire is possible.
However, it is unclear whether any deal can be reached before Tuesday’s US presidential election, with reports suggesting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is awaiting the results of the vote before making a decision.
U.S. officials are also trying to broker a ceasefire and hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The White House said CIA Director William Burns would travel to Cairo on Thursday for talks.
