Defense official says major chance for Lebanon truce after US envoy visits for talks
Lebanese source says Beirut seeking changes to US-backed ceasefire proposal; according to Israeli defense official, deal with Hamas also seems possible for first time in a while
There is a substantial chance of Israel reaching a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, a senior Israeli defense official told reporters Thursday, saying that a US-backed agreement that would see Hezbollah gradually withdraw north of the Litani River and the Lebanese Army retake responsibility for southern Lebanon is in reach.
US special envoy Amos Hochstein was in Israel Thursday meeting separately with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz along with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, to discuss the ceasefire negotiations.
Hochstein held meetings with the Lebanese side in recent days and said that “additional progress” had been made.
Under the potential ceasefire, the Lebanese Army would be responsible for preventing Hezbollah from reestablishing itself in southern Lebanon.
According to the defense official, if Israel sees Hezbollah attempting to rebuild infrastructure in southern Lebanon, it would notify the Lebanese Army via the US to act against the terror group. If no action is taken by the Lebanese Army, Israel reserves the right to act, the official said.
The official added that the IDF will also maintain the right to act to thwart any immediate threat, such as identifying Hezbollah operatives preparing to carry out an attack or a weapons shipment destined for the terror group.
Lebanese civilians will be able to return to their damaged villages in southern Lebanon under the potential agreement, and Israel does not plan to hold on to a security zone in southern Lebanon. Instead, Israel says it will act against any Hezbollah presence in southern Lebanon as necessary, either directly or by notifying the Lebanese Army via the US.
The UN peacekeeping force, UNIFIL, will likely still have a presence in southern Lebanon after a potential ceasefire is signed, though Israel does not see it as an important player in enforcing the removal of Hezbollah.
Following Hochstein’s meetings in Israel, US officials told Channel 12 news that they acknowledged that gaps remained between the sides, but insisted the sides were nearing a deal and could seal an agreement within days.
A senior Lebanese official told Reuters that Beirut wants changes to the US proposal to ensure a speedier withdrawal of Israeli troops from south Lebanon and to give both parties the right to self-defense.
Lebanese officials requested the changes during meetings in Beirut this week with Hochstein. The amendments sought by Lebanon, details of which have not previously been reported, indicate Hochstein still has work to do to seal a ceasefire agreement which he said was “within our grasp” during a visit to Beirut on Tuesday.
The Lebanese official said that Lebanon wanted to see Israeli troops “withdraw immediately after the ceasefire is declared so the Lebanese army can deploy in all areas” and so displaced people could return to their homes.
The official added that the Israeli position was a withdrawal within 60 days of the truce being announced.
A spokesperson for Netanyahu did not immediately respond to questions about Israel’s stance on the language of the truce deal.
Israel sent ground forces into south Lebanon on October 1 as part of its stepped-up offensive against Hezbollah, which began targeting northern communities and military posts a day after the Hamas terror onslaught in October 2023 that sparked the ongoing war in Gaza.
The official said the current draft deal referred to a pull-out from “Lebanese borders” while Lebanon wanted a specific referral to “the Lebanese border” to ensure that Israeli troops would withdraw from the frontier in full, not in part.
Lebanon has also sought language in the proposal that would preserve the right of both sides “to self-defense,” the Lebanese official said, without elaborating.
The Lebanese official said there was no language in the US draft deal on Israel continuing its strikes against Hezbollah and that Lebanon rejected any breach of its sovereignty.
Official says Hamas showing openness to deal
The senior Israeli defense official briefing reporters Thursday also said that after months of impasse, for the first time in a long while there is a good chance of reaching a hostage deal with Hamas.
The Gaza-ruling terror group is under a lot of pressure but refuses to surrender, the official said, adding that the terror group is potentially interested in a deal.
The official said Israel is closer to reaching a deal due to a change in Hamas’s position.
Hamas is ready to agree to a deal that doesn’t include announcing an official end to the war in the Gaza Strip, according to the official.
The potential deal will include a first-stage 42-day ceasefire, in which several hostages will be released.
Hours later, a member of Israel’s negotiating team told the Kan public broadcaster that the claims made by the senior defense official in a briefing with reporters were inaccurate. Kan’s source added that he has no idea what the anonymous briefer was talking about and that no such optimism exists among those actually involved in the negotiations.
It is believed that 97 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.
Hamas released 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released before that. Eight hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 37 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military as they tried to escape their captors.
Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
