Israel-Hezbollah Ceasefire Deal 'Very Close' As Strikes Continue In Lebanon: Report

Last Updated:November 25, 2024, 17:29 IST

Israel's military campaign against Hezbollah escalated dramatically since September, resulting in over 3,000 deaths in Lebanon.

Ceasefire talks between Israel and Hezbollah are reportedly progressing as fighting continues. (Reuters)

A ceasefire deal between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah is “very close", a regional source told CNN on Sunday, as Israel continues to pound Lebanon with the death toll continuing to rise above 3,000 since the escalation of hostilities in mid-September.

Hezbollah fired at least 250 rockets at Israel and destroyed some houses near Tel Aviv, injuring four, a day after a powerful Israeli strike killed at least 29 people in Beirut. Israel also carried out strikes against 12 Hezbollah command centres in southern in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh.

The regional source suggested that while a ceasefire deal between the two warring parties was closer than ever, it was not yet fully formed. US and Israeli officials also cautioned that no light had been given to mediators yet. “We are moving in this direction, but there are still some issues to address," a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CNN.

Hezbollah in recent days has been considering a US-Israeli proposal for a 60-day pause in fighting in the hopes of a lasting ceasefire. Israel has been locked in fighting with the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah since October 2023, but fighting escalated dramatically since late September of this year.

Key Differences Remain In Ceasefire Negotiations

Earlier this month, Israel’s top leadership had said there would be no ceasefire and no pause in Lebanon" until war objectives are met to weaken Hezbollah’s capabilities and return home tens and thousands of people displaced due to Hezbollah’s attacks. US mediator Amos Hochstein has been holding talks with regional parties this week and highlighted progress in a ceasefire deal.

However, CNN analyst and Axios reporter Barak Ravid cited a source as saying Hochstein had told the Israeli ambassador to Washington on Saturday that if Israel did not respond positively in the coming days to the ceasefire proposal, he would withdraw from the mediation efforts. European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Sunday said a US ceasefire proposal was awaiting final approval from Israel.

Israeli media reported that Netanyahu had convened a meeting of his security cabinet over the ceasefire proposals. The negotiations largely loom on restoring a ceasefire based on UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended a 2006 Hezbollah-Israel war. It requires Hezbollah to pull its fighters back around 30 km (19 miles) from the Israeli border, and the Lebanese army to deploy in the buffer zone.

Israel has agreed in principle to a US-backed ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon and Netanyahu is now working on how to present it to the public, reported The Times of Israel. The proposal will include three stages: a truce followed by Hezbollah removing its forces north of Litani River; an Israeli pullout from southern Lebanon and Israeli-Lebanese negotiations on demarcation of contested border areas.

Israel has eliminated most of Hezbollah’s top leadership, including leader Hassan Nasrallah, in precise airstrikes and injured thousands of people in an attack using exploding pagers and walkie-talkies. It has also launched a ground invasion and eliminated several Hezbollah commanders.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese army said on Sunday at least one soldier had been killed and 18 more injured in an Israeli strike at an army centre in Al-Amiriya near the southern city of Tyre. The Israeli military said it regretted the incident and was investigating, and that it was fighting against Hezbollah, not the Lebanese Army.

(with agency inputs)

Jerusalem, Israel

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