Lebanese Prime Minister says Lebanon and Israel may reach a ceasefire agreement within days
Lebanon’s Prime Minister expressed optimism on Wednesday that a ceasefire agreement with Israel could be reached within days. This came after Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan, released what it claimed was a draft agreement for a 60-day truce. The document, reportedly a leaked U.S.-written proposal, indicated that Israel would pull its forces out of Lebanon during the first week of the truce. The details largely aligned with a previous Reuters report based on information from two sources.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati initially doubted an agreement would be possible before the upcoming U.S. presidential election on Tuesday. However, his outlook became more hopeful after a Wednesday conversation with U.S. Middle East envoy Amos Hochstein, who is scheduled to visit Israel on Thursday.
"Hochstein indicated that we might reach an agreement by the end of the month, possibly even before November 5th," Mikati told Lebanon’s Al Jadeed television. "We are doing everything we can and should stay optimistic that we’ll see a ceasefire in the coming hours or days," he added.
The draft published by Kan was dated Saturday. White House National Security spokesperson Sean Savett commented that there are multiple reports and drafts circulating, none of which reflect the current status of negotiations. However, Savett did not confirm if the version Kan published served as a foundation for ongoing talks. The Israeli network reported that the draft had been presented to Israel’s leaders, though Israeli officials have not yet responded. (source:.reuters)
