Israel’s war with Lebanon could continue for months yet, Reuters reported on Friday, citing a Lebanese political source linked to Hezbollah, as well as two diplomats and another source familiar with diplomatic efforts to achieve a ceasefire.
A ceasefire proposal drafted by the Biden administration was “unrealistic,” according to the report.
This new information comes in the wake of a concerted U.S. push to reach an agreement between Israel and Hezbollah before the presidential election on Tuesday.
Last week, two U.S. officials were cited as saying on two separate occasions that recent diplomatic efforts had yielded “substantive” and “constructive” results.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that Israel and Lebanon were making progress for implementing a U.N. resolution that could see the end of the present conflict.
“It’s important to make sure we have clarity, both from Lebanon and from Israel, about what would be required under 1701 to get its effective implementation,” said Blinken, referring to the U.N. Security Council resolution from 2006 calling for the withdrawal of Hezbollah and other armed organizations from southern Lebanon, as well as their disarmament.
“I can tell you that based on my recent trip to the region, the work that’s ongoing right now, we have made good progress on those understandings,” he noted. But more work was needed to be done for a resolution to follow through, he added, according to Reuters.
On Oct. 31, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with U.S. presidential envoys Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk at his office in Jerusalem.
Netanyahu thanked “our American friends” for their efforts to bring about a truce, according to a readout from his office.
He emphasized that “the main point is not this or that agreement on paper but Israel’s ability and determination to enforce the agreement and thwart any threat to its security from Lebanon in a manner that will return our residents securely to their homes,” according to the readout.
A leaked draft deal published by Israel’s Kan News on Wednesday evening calls for a pullout of all Israeli forces from Southern Lebanon within seven days, while Hezbollah and other terrorist groups are to withdraw from the border area within 60 days after signing.
The draft deal states that “Israel and Lebanon recognize the importance of UNSCR 1701 to achieving lasting peace and security and commit to taking steps toward its full implementation.”
