US envoy for Lebanon says ‘there is a shot’ to get Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire soon
Netanyahu reportedly wants a ceasefire, but must figure out how to sell it to his base; Israel said to determine Hezbollah wants one too, is seeking ‘image of victory’ in barrages
US special envoy for Lebanon Amos Hochstein told reporters at the White House on Tuesday that “there is a shot” to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah soon and that he is “hopeful” about the prospects for such a deal.
Hochstein had met earlier that day with visiting Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who presented Israel’s updated position regarding the ceasefire proposal currently on the table.
Hochstein told reporters that the US will now wait to hear back from the Lebanese side.
The US envoy said he won’t necessarily need to take another trip to the region in order to secure a deal.
Hochstein stressed that there won’t be any Russian involvement in the agreement. The comment came after reports that Israel was seeking Moscow’s assistance in ensuring that Iran won’t be able to continue transferring weapons to Hezbollah via Syria once a ceasefire is in place.
Channel 12 reported Tuesday that Israel and the US have already sent a draft of the ceasefire agreement to Lebanon, and are awaiting Hezbollah’s response.
According to that report, it is the assessment in Israel that the recent upsurge in Hezbollah rocket attacks indicates that the group wants an end to the fighting, and is seeking some “image of victory” to justify making an agreement.
Channel 12 also said that Netanyahu is convinced a deal should be made with the terror group, noting that no military achievement will hold greater value than the assassination of longtime Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in September.
The prime minister is mindful, however, that making an agreement with Hezbollah will not be well-received by his political base, and is said to be mulling what an opportune moment would be to announce such an deal, and how to present it domestically.
The TV report on Tuesday echoed an Axios report on Monday that Netanyahu has conveyed to Washington he wants the war in Lebanon to end within weeks.
However, Israel is demanding a side letter from the US that includes guarantees from Washington that Israel will be allowed to take military action in Lebanon against Hezbollah if the terror group tries to re-establish its military presence along the border, Axios reported.
The sides have made progress in drafting the letter, a US official said, but it risks opposition from Hezbollah, which has asserted that it won’t accept any deal that allows Israel to resume its military actions in Lebanon.
Axios also reported that Dermer, prior to meeting with Hochstein and other Biden administration officials, had met with US President-elect Donald Trump at the latter’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Sunday.
The aim of the meeting was for the Netanyahu confidant to pass along messages regarding Israel’s plans for Gaza, Lebanon and Iran over the next two months.
“One of the things the Israelis wanted to sort out with Trump is what are the issues he prefers to see solved before January 20 and what are the issues he prefers the Israelis to wait for him,” a US official told the news site, noting that Netanyahu gave a heads up to the Biden administration about the Mar-a-Lago meeting.
Dermer also met with Trump’s son-in-law and former senior adviser Jared Kushner, who is not slated to play a role in the next administration.
He then traveled to Washington where he met on Monday with Hochstein, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and White House Mideast czar Brett McGurk.
Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.
The attacks on northern Israel since October 2023 have resulted in the deaths of 43 civilians. In addition, 62 IDF soldiers and reservists have died in cross-border skirmishes and in the ensuing ground operation launched in southern Lebanon in late September.
The IDF estimates that some 3,000 Hezbollah operatives have been killed in the conflict. Around 100 members of other terror groups, along with hundreds of civilians, have also been reported killed in Lebanon.
Hezbollah has named 516 members who have been killed by Israel amid the fighting, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. These numbers have not been consistently updated since Israel began a new offensive against Hezbollah in September.
