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American Officials: Ceasefire Between Israel and Hezbollah Is Near
American and Israeli officials estimate that a ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah is "becoming imminent," according to Israel's public broadcasting agency on Saturday.
The officials indicated that Israel is "waiting to receive the final draft of the agreement, which is being worked on by U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein."
The agency added that there is a belief that progress towards an agreement "could be achieved before the upcoming U.S. presidential elections," scheduled for next week, despite some ongoing gaps in negotiations.
Previously, the agency reported that the Israeli army "is nearing the completion of the first phase of its ground operations in southern Lebanon, in accordance with the necessities of the ground operation," noting that "some members of the regular and reserve army have been released, numbering in the thousands."
The army has begun planning the redeployment of its forces along the Lebanese border amid discussions about a ceasefire and the potential for a political settlement with the Lebanese government, mediated by the United States.
Hochstein and U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Affairs Brett McGurk have conducted tours in Lebanon and Israel over the past few days to advance efforts for a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, which is designated a terrorist organization in the U.S.
Reuters quoted a senior Lebanese political source and a high-level diplomat stating that the United States "requested Lebanon to announce a unilateral ceasefire with Israel" in order to revive stalled talks aimed at ending hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.
The sources revealed that Hochstein "conveyed the proposal to caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati this week."
Both the United States and Lebanon have denied the information suggesting that Washington asked Beirut to declare a unilateral ceasefire.
