New York Times reveals details of imminent agreement between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah

The New York Times quoted informed regional and American officials as saying that the outlines of a possible agreement between Israel and Lebanon are beginning to crystallize, opening the door to cautious optimism regarding reaching a settlement.

The newspaper said that the details of implementing the settlement regarding Lebanon still need to be agreed upon, noting that the possible agreement includes a 60-day truce during which Israel withdraws from Lebanon, while Hezbollah withdraws to the north of the Litani River.

In the same context, the dismissed Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said that he heard of significant progress in the settlement issue with Lebanon, which included the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes.

Galant revealed this in a tweet he posted on his account on the "X" platform, following a meeting with US envoy Amos Hochstein, describing the meeting as "successful."

Galant added, "Thanks to the security and military achievements we have made during the period in which I have been in charge of the security apparatus, Israel can, and must, move forward with settlement and return the residents of the north to their homes."

He considered that "this step would greatly weaken Iran and Hezbollah and allow Israel to carry out additional operations to return the kidnapped and complete the objectives of the war in Gaza."

"Big" progress

In the same context, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said that estimates in Israel indicate the possibility of reaching a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon "within days if small details remain pending."

She added that the most prominent outstanding details after the talks of US envoy Amos Hochstein are Israel's rejection of any role for France in the monitoring mechanism, in addition to some disagreements regarding the formulations related to the disputed border points.

The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation also quoted sources familiar with the US envoy's talks as saying that there was progress that could be described as significant, but that work still needed to be done to reach a ceasefire.

The sources said that Hochstein pressured the Israeli and Lebanese officials, saying that it was time to make a decision and reach an agreement.

Hochstein arrived in Israel after a round of talks in Lebanon, during which he met with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. He said afterwards that the atmosphere was positive and that there was progress on the settlement issue.

After clashes with factions in Lebanon, most notably Hezbollah, which began the day after launching the war of extermination on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, Israel expanded the scope of the extermination since September 23 to include most areas of Lebanon, including the capital Beirut, through air strikes, and also began a ground invasion in the south.

The Israeli aggression on Lebanon resulted in a total of 3,583 deaths and 15,244 injuries, including a large number of children and women, in addition to about 1.4 million displaced persons.

Every day, Hezbollah responds by launching missiles, drones, and artillery shells targeting military sites, intelligence headquarters, military gatherings, and settlements. While Israel announces some of its human and material losses, military censorship imposes a strict blackout on most of the losses, according to observers.

Source: Al Jazeera + Agencies + New York Times