Israeli Ambassador to the US Suggests Possible Ceasefire Deal with Hezbollah Soon

The Israeli ambassador to the United States, Mike Herzog, indicated that a ceasefire agreement to end the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, could be finalized in a matter of days.

Speaking to Israeli Army Radio on Monday, Herzog mentioned that while there are still “points to finalize,” the deal is near completion and requires approval from the Israeli government. He added that the agreement could come through in the coming days.

However, there are still key issues to resolve, including Israel’s demand to retain the right to take action if Hezbollah fails to uphold its commitments under the ceasefire. The agreement aims to push both Hezbollah and Israeli forces out of southern Lebanon.

Israel accuses Hezbollah of not honoring a U.N. resolution that ended the 2006 war, which included similar provisions. Israel is concerned that Hezbollah could launch cross-border attacks from southern Lebanon if it maintains a significant presence there. Lebanon, in turn, accuses Israel of violating the same 2006 resolution, citing frequent incursions by Israeli military jets and naval vessels, even during periods of no active conflict. It remains unclear whether Lebanon will accept Israel’s conditions.

The potential for an agreement follows discussions led by a senior U.S. envoy last week, who sought to mediate between the two sides.

The conflict began on October 8, 2023, when Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel, following Hamas’ assault on southern Israel. This sparked over a year of intense fighting, which escalated further in September with large-scale Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon and an Israeli ground operation in the country’s south.

Hezbollah has since launched thousands of rockets into Israeli cities, including around 250 on Sunday alone.