Israel Approves Ceasefire With Hezbollah; Hostage Deal May Near

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Israel has approved a U.S.-backed ceasefire with Hezbollah to end the war in Lebanon, while separately delegates discussed a hostage deal for Gaza.

The Jewish nation’s security council voted for the deal, which calls for a 60-day ceasefire while the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Hezbollah terrorists evacuate southern Lebanon.

The accord was agreed upon earlier by leaders of Iran-backed Hezbollah and Lebanon.

“I support its approval and will present the cease-fire to the entire cabinet in Jerusalem,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier in a televised speech.

Israeli sources said U.S. President Joe Biden and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron were to announce the deal during the night. The accord is set to take effect at 10 a.m. local time Wednesday.

The accord would allow the two sides to start negotiations for a permanent cease-fire after more than a year of fighting that forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes in northern Israel and southern Lebanon.

Following a barrage of Hezbollah rockets, Israel’s army moved in a declared effort to eliminate Hezbollah.

US ENVOY

The truce agreement came after one of President Joe Biden’s main Middle East envoys, Amos Hochstein, shuttled between Israel and Lebanon in a bid to end the conflict before President-elect Donald J Trump takes over the White House in January.

Shortly after Netanyahu’s remarks, the White House said Biden was scheduled to speak later in the day.

The breakthrough came after days of strained last-minute negotiations “in which Israel pushed for the removal of France as guarantor of the security situation in Lebanon, citing current diplomatic tensions between France and Israel,” Israeli sources said.

Netanyahu was also to discuss the ceasefire deal with local authorities in northern Israel, where some officials reportedly condemned the agreement as it would not lead to an immediate return of at least 60,000 Israelis to their homes.

Observers were also quick to warn that the talks on a permanent accord would likely be complicated.

Israel wants Hezbollah to remove its fighters and weapons from the border region in southern Lebanon, with United Nations forces and the Lebanese military patrolling the area.

Yet the truce was seen as another step in a fast-developing process that would include a possible hostage agreement.

EGYPT DELEGATION

An Egyptian security delegation was scheduled to head to Tel Aviv late Tuesday to meet with Israeli officials on a hostage deal “with Palestinian terror groups in the Gaza Strip,” Israeli and Arabic sources say.

The delegation was due to discuss “day after” proposals for Gaza, including a cessation of hostilities and the management of the Gaza Strip.

The Jerusalem Post newspaper reported that they were due to discuss outcomes that would be acceptable to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

Some 101 hostages remain in captivity in the Gaza Strip, 97 of whom had been abducted on 7 October 2023 by Hamas and the other four hostages captured earlier.

Nearly half of them are believed to have died.

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