He views the issue of the US truce proposal with Israel “very positively”, an official with knowledge of the negotiations told AFP today, stressing that Beirut is currently finalizing its “observations” and will then give its response in the USA.
The US ambassador to Lebanon, Lisa Johnson, delivered last Thursday to the Lebanese authorities a proposal to end the war between the pro-Iranian Hezbollah organization and Israel.
About 3,500 people have died in the conflict since October 2023, most since Israel launched a massive bombing campaign and ground intervention in Lebanon in late September.
“We have made great progress. Lebanon is very positive about this proposal,” added the official, who asked not to be named.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who acts as a liaison to Hezbollah, asked for three days to respond. “We are waiting to study some outstanding issues with him,” another Lebanese official told AFP today.
Both sources said the US envoy is expected in Beirut early this week and confirmed that Israel has not yet given its own response to the US plan.
According to Lebanese officials, the US is proposing a ceasefire and thorough implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. The decision, adopted in 2006 after the previous war between Israel and Hezbollah, stipulates that only UN peacekeepers and the Lebanese army will be allowed to deploy to the country’s southern border, and that Hezbollah fighters will move further north. .
Press leaks indicate that Israel is demanding that it be allowed to continue strikes against Hezbollah after a ceasefire is reached. A Lebanese official said his country could not accept such terms.
RES/EMP
