Israel, Hezbollah on verge of truce, say US officials

Senior US officials say fighting on the Israel – Lebanon border to be halted for three weeks, with truce expected to be announced ‘in coming hours,’ with hopes for more expansive ceasefire.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

Israel and the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah are poised to halt hostilities during a three-week truce, senior American officials claimed early Thursday morning.

Speaking with Sky News, senior U.S. officials said they expect a 21-day truce to be initiated between the two sides “in the coming hours.”

“The ceasefire will be for 21 days along the blue line,” a Biden administration official said, referring to the boundary between Israel and Lebanon.

“During those 21 days, the parties will negotiate towards a potential resolution of the conflict that has been ongoing since Hezbollah launched the attack on October 8, and to reach a comprehensive agreement along the blue line that allows for residents to return to their home in both Lebanon and Israel.”

Israeli Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, head of the center-left Yesh Atid faction, said he supported a temporary truce, but did not endorse the proposed three-week cessation of fighting, saying it could enable Hezbollah to regroup, after the pro-Iranian organization suffered heavy losses in Israeli attacks over the past week and a half.

“The State of Israel needs to announce this morning that it accepts the Biden-Macron proposal for a ceasefire, but only for seven days, so that it does not enable Hezbollah to rebuild its command structure and reestablish its control,” Lapid tweeted.

“We will not accept any proposal that does not include distancing Hezbollah from our northern border.”

The United States, Britain, and France earlier this week called on Israel and Hezbollah to accept a three-week ceasefire.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told the United Nations Security Council that “a diplomatic solution is indeed possible,” expressing optimism a three-week truce could be achieved.

“In recent days, we’ve worked with our American partners on a temporary ceasefire platform of 21 days to allow for negotiations.”

Late Wednesday night Barrot claimed that significant progress had been made towards achieving the proposed truce.