US Working on Israel-Hezbollah Ceasefire Proposal

Photo: US Embassy in Lebanon, Awkar

US mediators are working on a proposal to end hostilities between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah, starting with a 60-day ceasefire, two people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, Reuters reported.

Meanwhile, Israeli troops continued their offensive, ordering residents to evacuate the Lebanese town of Baalbek.

A source familiar with the matter and a senior diplomat overseeing Lebanon told Reuters that the two-month period would be used to complete full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, passed in 2006, so that southern Lebanon would be free of armed groups not controlled by the state.

Both sources told Reuters the 60-day truce replaced a proposal put forward last month by the United States and others for a 21-day ceasefire as a preparatory stage for Resolution 1701 to come into full effect.

However, both sides warned the deal could still fall apart.

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A person familiar with the matter said Israel still insisted on the possibility of “directly enforcing” the truce through airstrikes or other military action against Hezbollah if it violated the agreement.

"We want to reiterate that we are committed to a diplomatic solution that fully implements Resolution 1701 and returns Israeli and Lebanese citizens to their homes on both sides of the border," said Sama Habib, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.

U.S. Middle East envoy Amos Hochstein, who is working on a new cease-fire proposal, told reporters in Beirut earlier this month that better enforcement mechanisms were needed because neither Israel nor Lebanon had fully implemented the resolution.

Axios reported that Hochstein and presidential adviser Brett McGurk will travel to Israel on Thursday to try to broker a deal on Lebanon. The report said Israeli and American officials believe Hezbollah, having suffered serious losses, including the killing of its leader Hassan Nasrallah, is ready to distance itself from Hamas.

Prepared by: Sergei Daga