TEL AVIV: High-ranking US officials, Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk, arrived in Israel on Thursday to negotiate a potential truce along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon.
The US officials’ visit came as Palestinian group Hamas rejected separate short-term Gaza truce plans, where Israeli strikes continued overnight without a ceasefire in sight.
In Lebanon, Israeli forces continued an aggressive campaign, intensifying ground and air strikes to create leverage in ongoing negotiations. The proposed US-brokered deal would see Hezbollah forces pull back around 20 miles (30 kilometers) from the border, allowing Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers to secure the area.
Under the proposed deal, Lebanon would also assume responsibility for preventing Hezbollah from rearming, while Israel would maintain its right to self-defense.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati indicated cautious optimism on Wednesday about a possible ceasefire “within hours or days.” Hezbollah’s new leader, Naim Qassem, hinted that the group could accept a truce under conditions favorable to its interests.
The latest developments follow the recent appointment of Qassem, who took over after Hezbollah’s former leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike last month. In his first speech as leader, Qassem stated, “If the Israelis decide that they want to stop the aggression, we say we accept, but under the conditions that we see as appropriate.”
Meanwhile, the US and Qatari mediators proposed a short-term pause in Gaza hostilities to enable humanitarian aid delivery. However, Hamas rejected the proposal. Senior Hamas official Taher al-Nunu told AFP, “The idea of a temporary pause in the war, only to resume aggression later, is something we have already expressed our position on. Hamas supports a permanent end to the war, not a temporary one.”
Israeli officials have signaled a potential breakthrough in Lebanon. Last week, Israel’s Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, said, “In the north, there’s a possibility of reaching a sharp conclusion.”
The Israeli military subsequently issued an evacuation notice for civilians in southern Lebanon, including in Rashidieh, a Palestinian refugee camp, ahead of airstrikes. In southern Lebanon, bombings were reported near Tyre, and reports confirmed an Israeli strike in Qusayr that killed three people.
Since October 2023, Israeli bombardment has killed at least 1,754 people in Lebanon, mostly women and children, according to UNICEF. Israel has reported the loss of 37 soldiers since its ground campaign began on September 30.
