
Bulldozers remove the rubble of a destroyed building that was hit in an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. AP
Michael Herzog told Israeli Army Radio on Monday that there remain “points to finalize” and that any deal requires government agreement, AP reported.
However, he said: “We are close to a deal,” and “it can happen within days.”
The draft ceasefire agreement allegedly includes a 60-day transition period, during which the Israeli army would withdraw from southern Lebanon, the Lebanese army would deploy in areas close to the border, and Hezbollah would move its heavy weapons north of the Litani River.
According to the Axios news website, the draft agreement includes a US-led oversight committee to monitor implementation and address violations.
Moreover, Israeli and US officials claimed that Washington has agreed to give Israel a letter of assurances that includes support for Israeli army operations against imminent threats from the Lebanese territory and for action to disrupt things like the re-establishment of a Hezbollah presence near the border or the smuggling of heavy weapons, according to Axios.
Under the agreement, Israel would take such action after consultations with Washington, and if the Lebanese military did not deal with the threat, Axios said.
Israeli officials said Netanyahu held a meeting on Sunday with several senior ministers and intelligence chiefs about the ceasefire talks.
According to one senior Israeli official, a decision was taken to move toward the agreement, and an announcement could come this week.
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said Wednesday his group would not accept any truce with the Israeli side that violates Lebanese sovereignty.
Hezbollah seeks a "complete and comprehensive end to the aggression" and "the preservation of Lebanon's sovereignty ... the Israeli enemy cannot enter (Lebanese territory) whenever it wants," Qassem said in a pre-recorded, televised speech.
"We are facing Israeli monsters supported by major American monsters," he added.
Lebanon and Israel also disagree over which countries would sit on the international committee overseeing implementation of the deal and Resolution 1701. The diplomats said Israel refused to allow France, which has remained close with Lebanon since its colonial rule there ended and has recently been at odds with Israel. The Israeli official confirmed that France's role was in dispute.
Meanwhile, Lebanon has refused to allow Britain, a close ally of Israel.
And Israel does not want to enter into negotiations on 13 disputed points along the border as part of a ceasefire deal, Western diplomats told AP news agency.
The optimism surrounding a deal came after a top US envoy held talks between the two sides last week to try to clinch a deal.
US envoy Amos Hochstein visited Tel Aviv last week after concluding a two-day visit to Beirut.
He met with Prime Minister Najib Mikati and the Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who Hezbollah entrusted to negotiate indirectly with the Israelis through American and European sides.
In a press conference after these meetings, Hochstein said he saw "a real opportunity" to reach a ceasefire deal.
However, the European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, who has a contentious relationship with Israel's government, said Sunday during a visit to Lebanon that he's not convinced that Israel is “interested clearly in reaching an agreement for a ceasefire."
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