Lebanon Hopes Ceasefire ‘Within Hours’ As Hezbollah ‘Agrees To Withdraw’

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

BEIRUT/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati hopes for a ceasefire with Israel in the “coming hours” after Hezbollah “agreed to withdraw beyond the Litani River,” several sources say.

Lebanon-based Hezbollah has also agreed to no longer link its military operations to Israel’s war against Hezbollah ally Hamas in Gaza, according to Israeli and Lebanese sources.

With Israel killing most seniors and destroying essential communication tools, including beepers and walkie-talkies, Makati suggested Hezbollah was facing disarray.

He reportedly said that since September 21, “there has been no communication with Hezbollah” and that his “main communication has been with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Mustafa Berri,” leader of Amal, Hezbollah’s primary rival in the Lebanese Shia community.

Israeli officials remained skeptical, but the U.S. seemed to push for a preelection deal that it hopes could boost Vice President Kamala Harris’s chances of becoming president.

Lebanese media said a three-day ceasefire draft is being discussed in Lebanon, and American officials are expected to present it to Israel in the coming days.

Amos Hochstein, U.S. President Joe Biden’s envoy to the region, was to visit Israel Thursday after reportedly “sensing a change” in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s position on conditions for a ceasefire.

UN RESOLUTION

Under the deal, drafted by Hochstein, United Nations Resolution 1701 will be recognized by Hezbollah, meaning that the Iran-backed group and its allies in Lebanon will not take action against Israel, Israeli media reported.

The Lebanese Armed Forces would be the only armed body in southern Lebanon other than the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, according to released information about the proposed ceasefire deal.

If signed, Israel would not carry out offensive operations in Lebanon, including those against military and government targets, and would withdraw from southern Lebanon within a week, Worthy News learned.

The draft added that the Lebanese government will supervise any weapons sales or production in Lebanon.

However, Israeli sources cautioned that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) won’t withdraw from southern Lebanon unless there is a practical and realistic ceasefire in place.

“I do not see the army exiting until there is a permanent ceasefire and an effective solution” that would prevent Hezbollah from regrouping along Israel’s border, a source explained.

The source spoke to the Jerusalem Post newspaper amid reports that the IDF “was close to completing its military objectives” in southern Lebanon and advancing toward a ceasefire deal.

Many Christians have been praying for peace in the region, including in Indonesia, the largest Muslim nation, Worthy News established.

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