Lebanon to convey 'positive response' to US truce plan

The Lebanese government has largely endorsed U.S. truce proposal to end the Israel-Hezbollah war and was preparing final comments before sending a response to Washington, a Lebanese official told AFP on Monday.

Since September 23, Israel has intensified its air campaign in Lebanon, later sending in ground troops, nearly a year into limited exchanges of fire initiated by Hezbollah in support of Palestinian ally Hamas after its October 7, 2023 attack sparked the Gaza war.

France and Washington have spearheaded ceasefire efforts, with Lebanese officials on Friday saying the government was reviewing a U.S. truce proposal in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

On Monday, one government official who has been following the talks closely said that "we have made a lot of progress. Lebanon has a very positive view on this proposal."

"We are finalizing our last remarks about the U.S. wording of the draft," the official added.

Another government official told AFP Beirut was "waiting for U.S. special envoy Amos Hochstein to arrive so we can review certain outstanding points with him".

Both sources, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said Hochstein was expected in Beirut this week. Berri is expected to meet with him in the Lebanese capital on Tuesday.

The sources said Israel had not yet responded to the truce plan.

A Lebanese official had earlier said U.S. Ambassador Lisa Johnson discussed the plan on Thursday with Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Hezbollah-allied parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who has been involved in mediation efforts on behalf of the group.

The official said the proposal comprised "13 points spanning five pages".

If an agreement is reached, Washington and Paris would issue a joint statement, he said, followed by a 60-day truce during which Lebanon will redeploy troops in the southern border area, near Israel.

The proposal was based on implementing U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the last Hezbollah-Israel war of 2006, another official told AFP on Friday.

He suggested Lebanon would object to an agreement that would allow Israel to keep conducting operations against Hezbollah inside Lebanon, as some media reports said Israel had demanded.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday publicly vowed to keep operating against Hezbollah even if an agreement is reached.

Resolution 1701 said Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers should be the only armed forces deployed in the south, where Hezbollah holds sway. It also called for Israel to withdraw troops from Lebanon.

Lebanese authorities say more than 3,510 people have been killed since clashes began in October last year, with most casualties recorded since September.

A government minister close to Hezbollah said Lebanon will convey its “positive position” on the cease-fire proposal this week.

Labor Minister Mostafa Bayram, who met with Berri on Monday, said Hezbollah’s function “is to make sure the (Israeli) aggression fails to achieve its goals, while negotiation is for the state and the government.”

A Western diplomat familiar with the talks told The Associated Press there is a sense of “cautious optimism.”

“Diplomatic efforts are converging towards a cease-fire, but it’s still in the hands and heads of key players to decide if it’s in their interest or not to stop things right now,” said the diplomat, who was not authorized to brief media and so spoke on condition of anonymity.