Three Biden administration officials have confirmed that a cease-fire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia was close but not complete Monday, which is the latest effort to end the conflict between the two territories.
One of the officials stated that there were still a few issues of contention between the two nations that have not been resolved. Another official stated that the deal may take a few days before it is agreed.
The White House national security adviser John Kirby stated that the discussion was productive. While speaking at a briefing on Monday he further stated that nothing was agreed and nothing was done yet but remained optimistic that a deal will be agreed soon.
The potential development comes amid a continuation of heavy strikes from both sides. Over the weekend, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 20 people in the Lebanese capital of Beirut while Hezbollah fired more than 200 rockets at Israel, leaving neighbourhoods in flames, according to the Israeli military. More Israeli airstrikes followed in the suburbs of Beirut.
The latest clashes have been recorded after months of fighting between the two territories, the fight has been majorly between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, with Hezbollah firing rockets and other projectiles into Israel after the surprise October 7th 2023 Hamas attack that started the war Hezbollah and the Palestinian militant group Hamas are both allied with Iran.
Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, also while speaking on Monday stated that the ceasefire conversations were advancing. He confirmed that the talks were advancing but no agreement has been reached yet.
It was confirmed that when the ceasefire is agreed it will be limited to Lebanon which means that it would fail to bring relief to the people of Palestine in Gaza or the dozens of hostages taken by Hamas.
A statement that was made public by the families of those held on stage urged the authorities to include the release of the person as part of the agreement for the cease-fire.
The statement further stated that the October 7 attack, orchestrated by Hamas and supported by Iran, saw Hezbollah join the conflict, linking its fate to the war in Gaza and the atrocities of the October 7 massacre.
The statement explained that the current efforts to secure an agreement ending the war on the northern front present a vital opportunity to bring all hostages home. The northern front and the hostages’ release are inseparably linked — we cannot and must not treat them as separate issues.”
It has been stated that the ground air assaults that have been conducted by Israel have claimed less than 3,000 people in Lebanon and displaced more than 1 million others in the figures released by the local officials, It was further learnt that the attack has spanned as far as parts of Syria, where a recent Israeli airstrike killed a senior Hezbollah commander.
Talks of a possible cease-fire come about a month after Israel attacked Iran on its soil, stoking fears that Iran would retaliate and dramatically escalate tensions in the region. However, the Iranian army downplayed the attack after, saying “damage was limited.”
