Three senior Biden administration officials told NBC News Monday that a cease-fire agreement to end the fighting between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah group was near but not final.
“There are still a few issues left to be resolved,” one source stated, while another warned that an agreement “could still take a couple of days.”
John Kirby, national security adviser to the White House, described the talks as “productive.”
He remarked, “But nothing is done until it’s all done, and it’s not done right now,” during a briefing on Monday.
The possible development coincides with both sides continuing to launch intense attacks. According to the Israeli military, Hezbollah fired more than 200 rockets at Israel over the weekend, setting neighborhoods on fire, and Israeli airstrikes killed at least 20 people in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. Then came further Israeli bombings on Beirut’s outskirts.
The current skirmishes come amid months of escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran. Following the surprise Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas offensive that sparked the war in Gaza, Hezbollah began launching rockets and other projectiles into Israel. Iran is an ally of both Hezbollah and the Palestinian militant organization Hamas.
Israel’s envoy to the UN, Danny Danon, stated on Monday that cease-fire negotiations were progressing.
“We haven t finalized it, but we are moving forward,” he stated.
The cease-fire would only apply in Lebanon, so it wouldn’t help the dozens of hostages that Hamas has abducted or the Palestinians in Gaza.
They “strongly urge” any agreement to include a demand for the release of those who are being detained, according to a statement from the hostages’ relatives.
“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 said.
“A crucial chance to repatriate all captives is presented by the ongoing negotiations to reach a deal that would terminate the conflict on the northern front. We cannot and must not approach the hostage release and the northern front as distinct matters since they are inextricably linked.
According to local officials, Israel’s air and ground attack has caused more than 1 million people to be displaced and killed well over 3,000 people in Lebanon. The strikes have even reached sections of Syria, where a senior Hezbollah commander was recently killed by an Israeli airstrike.
About a month after Israel attacked Iran on its territory, raising concerns that Iran would strike back and sharply increase regional tensions, talks of a potential cease-fire have begun. The Iranian army, however, later played down the attack, claiming that “damage was limited.”
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