A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah could be announced “soon”, the Financial Times newspaper reported, citing Lebanese officials.
The ceasefire could come into effect “this week”, most likely after Israeli forces take control of the key southern Lebanese town of Bint Jubail, two sources told the newspaper.
A senior official in the administration of US President Donald Trump said that Washington is not seeking a ceasefire in Lebanon. "We did not ask for it and it is not part of the peace talks with Iran, but the president would welcome a cessation of hostilities in Lebanon as part of a peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon," the source explained.
A Lebanese official clarified that the ceasefire would mean a halt to Israeli strikes, not a withdrawal of Israeli troops.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that the army was continuing to strike Hezbollah. He said they were focused on destroying the group's "main stronghold" in Bint Jubail.
The prime minister instructed the military to expand the buffer zone eastward, "towards the slopes of Mount Hermon," in support of the Druze who live there. "In parallel with the fight against Hezbollah, we are negotiating with Lebanon," Netanyahu said.
Hezbollah's deputy political council chairman, Mahmoud Komati, told Al-Jadid that the group welcomes any ceasefire efforts, but its goal is to force Israel to comply.
Channel 12 reported, citing two Israeli officials, that a security cabinet meeting called to discuss a possible ceasefire in Lebanon ended without any decision.
According to the channel, the United States is pressuring Israel to agree to a week-long ceasefire against Hezbollah, hoping that such a move will help negotiations with Lebanon as well as Washington's efforts to reach an agreement with Tehran to end the war.
On April 14, representatives from Israel and Lebanon held a meeting in Washington that ended with a historic agreement to begin direct peace talks. These were the first such talks between the two countries since 1993.
The talks were organized with the assistance of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Israel was represented by its ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, and Lebanon by its ambassador, Nada Al-Aql.
The Israeli ambassador described the meeting as a “wonderful exchange“ and stressed that the two countries are united in opposing destabilizing factors.
“Hezbollah“ criticized the talks, saying they deepened divisions in Lebanon.
Amid diplomatic efforts, more than 1 million Lebanese citizens have fled their homes due to ongoing hostilities