Senior US officials planned to meet their Israeli counterparts on Thursday to discuss a potential deal to end the conflict in Lebanon and secure Israel’s northern border against Hezbollah attacks.
The US visit came as the Palestinian militant group Hamas rejected separate truce proposals for the fighting in Gaza, where Israeli strikes continued overnight.
Less than a week before the US presidential election, Washington’s envoys, Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk, were expected in Israel as Israeli forces continued their intense ground and air campaign against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.
On Wednesday, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati expressed optimism about a ceasefire in “the coming hours or days,” while Hezbollah’s new leader, Naim Qassem, stated the group would accept a truce under certain conditions.
According to Israeli media reports citing government sources, the plan brokered by the US team would see Hezbollah forces retreat around 20 miles (30 kilometres) from the border, north of the Litani River.
Israeli forces would withdraw from Lebanon, and the Lebanese army would then take charge of the border alongside UN peacekeepers.
Lebanon would be responsible for preventing Hezbollah from rearming with imported weapons, while Israel would retain its right under international law to act in self-defence.
‘Sharp conclusion’
Diplomatic efforts are also underway to agree on a short pause in fighting in Gaza, where Israel is striking at remnants of Hamas, more than a year after the group launched its unprecedented attack on Israel.
But on Thursday, senior Hamas official Taher al-Nunu told AFP that the group rejected the idea of a short-term pause in the fighting, suggested by US and Qatari mediators.
Mediators had hoped that a short pause would create a window for humanitarian aid to reach Gaza’s desperate civilian population and allow negotiations for a permanent ceasefire. However, Hamas rejected this.
“The idea of a temporary pause in the war, only to resume aggression later, is something we have already expressed our position on. Hamas supports a permanent end to the war, not a temporary one,” Nunu said.
Any deal to stabilise Israel’s front with Lebanon is likely to come first, ahead of any ceasefire for Gaza.
Last week, Israel’s chief of general staff, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, said: “In the north, there’s a possibility of reaching a sharp conclusion.”
On Thursday, Israel pressed its onslaught in Lebanon, which analysts say has positioned it to strike a deal.
The Israeli military issued an evacuation call for civilians in several areas of southern Lebanon, including the Palestinian refugee camp of Rashidieh.
Previous warnings in recent days have been swiftly followed by deadly air strikes.
Hezbollah appointed Qassem as its new leader on Tuesday following the assassination of his predecessor, Hassan Nasrallah, by Israel in a large-scale air strike last month.
In his first speech as leader, Qassem stated that Hezbollah could continue resisting Israeli air and ground attacks in Lebanon for months.
However, he also indicated openness to a negotiated truce if presented with an Israeli offer.
“If the Israelis decide that they want to stop the aggression, we say we accept, but under conditions that we see as appropriate and suitable,” he said.
Air strikes
The war in Lebanon began late last month, nearly a year after Hezbollah initiated low-intensity cross-border fire into Israel in support of Hamas following its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
The conflict has claimed at least 1,754 lives in Lebanon since September 23, according to an AFP tally of health ministry figures, though the true figure is likely higher.
Israel’s military reports it has lost 37 soldiers in Lebanon since ground operations began on September 30.
In Gaza, AFP journalists and local authorities confirmed further strikes overnight, though casualty numbers were not immediately available.
Hamas’s attack on Israel last year resulted in 1,206 deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel’s response has led to the deaths of 43,163 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, which the United Nations considers reliable.
