US official: Israel, Lebanon expected to decide ‘within hours’ whether to back joint truce call

By AFP and ToI Staff 26 September 2024, 5:24 am

74 Edit

A call by the United States, European Union and several Arab states for a ceasefire in Lebanon is an “important breakthrough,” a senior US official says.

“This is an important breakthrough on the Lebanon side, given all that has gone on there,” the official tells reporters in a briefing on the joint statement, which is aimed at avoiding a wider conflict as the nearly year-long fighting between Israel and Hezbollah intensifies.

Lebanon and Israel are expected to decide “within hours” whether to accept, a second US official says, adding: “We have had this conversation with the parties and felt this was the right moment.”