 "A view shows the moment of an Israeli strike on a building, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezollah and Israeli forces, in the Chiyah district of Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, on Monday. Reuters")
The Israeli cabinet will convene on Tuesday to approve a Lebanon ceasefire deal, according to a Reuters report, citing senior Israeli official on Monday.
Another Israeli official told Reuters the cabinet would convene to discuss a deal that could be cemented in the coming days.
Earlier on Sunday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the emerging ceasefire deal with Hezbollah “in principle” during a security consultation with Israeli officials.
According to CNN, citing a source, Israel still has reservations over some details of the agreement, which were expected to be transmitted to the Lebanese government on Monday.
Details are still being negotiated, and multiple sources emphasised that the agreement will not be finalised until all issues are resolved.
The ceasefire agreement also requires approval from the Israeli cabinet, which has not yet taken place, added the report.
Sources close to the negotiations said talks are progressing positively, but cautioned that with ongoing exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah, a single misstep could derail the discussions, reported CNN.
US envoy Amos Hochstein said in Beirut last week that a ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon was “within our grasp,” but ultimately, it would be “the decision of the parties.”
During his meetings with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who acts as the interlocutor with Hezbollah in the talks, Hochstein described the discussions as “constructive” and “very good” in narrowing the gaps between the parties.
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More Shorts“We have a real opportunity to bring the conflict to an end,” he had said.
“The window is now,” he said.
Hochstein left Lebanon for Israel on Wednesday to push for the finalisation of the negotiations.
The US-backed proposal seeks a 60-day cessation of hostilities, which some hope could serve as the foundation for a lasting ceasefire.
On Sunday, CNN and Axios reported that Hochstein had warned the Israeli ambassador to Washington on Saturday that if Israel did not respond positively to the ceasefire proposal in the coming days, he would withdraw from the mediation efforts.
Hochstein’s trip followed Beirut’s “positive” response to the US-backed proposal to halt the conflict, with Mikati confirming that significant parts of the draft agreement had been resolved.
The conflict escalated in mid-September when Israel launched a major military offensive in Lebanon after months of border attacks, beginning on October 8 of the previous year when Hezbollah attacked Israeli-controlled territory in solidarity with Hamas and Palestinians in Gaza.
Since then, Israel has carried out a ground invasion, killed several Hezbollah leaders—including one of its founders, Hassan Nasrallah—and inflicted significant casualties, with thousands injured in attacks that included exploding pagers.
With inputs from agencies