An Israeli official says cabinet to meet today to approve Lebanon ceasefire deal

JERUSALEM/BEIRUT: A senior Israeli official said on Monday Israel's cabinet would meet on Tuesday to approve a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah, and a Lebanese official said Beirut had been told by Washington that an accord could be announced "within hours". Israeli officials had said earlier that a deal to end the war was getting closer though some issues remained, while two senior Lebanese officials voiced guarded optimism even as Israeli strikes pounded Lebanon anew.

An NYT report said that Israeli PM Netanyahu has signalled he is open to a ceasefire with Hezbollah, but is seeking clearer assurances on how Israel could restart the fighting if Hezbollah breaks the truce, according to two Israeli officials briefed on his thinking. US officials have been putting pressure on Israel to finalise a deal before Thanksgiving, according to those Israeli officials and two others.

US news website Axios, citing an unnamed senior US official, said Israel and Lebanon had agreed to the terms of a deal, and a senior Israeli official told Reuters Tuesday's meeting was intended to approve it. Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, said Israel would maintain an ability to strike southern Lebanon under any agreement. Netanyahu's office declined to comment on the Axios report.

Netanyahu appears to be more open to a deal with Hezbollah in Lebanon than with Hamas in Gaza, in large part because he is more intent on the complete destruction of Hamas than Hezbollah. Yet hard-line factions that are crucial to his political coalition have still opposed any ceasefire, and on Monday, Israel's national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, publicly urged Netanyahu to reject the proposal. "An agreement with Lebanon is a big mistake. A historic missed opportunity to eradicate Hezbollah," he said. "As I warned before in Gaza, I warn now as well: Mr. Prime Minister, it is not too late to stop this agreement! We must continue until absolute victory!"

In Beirut, Lebanese deputy parliament speaker Elias Bou Saab said there were "no serious obstacles" left to beginning implementation of a US-proposed ceasefire with Israel. Bou Saab said the proposal would entail an Israeli military withdrawal from south Lebanon and regular Lebanese army troops deploying in the border region, long a Hezbollah stronghold, within 60 days. He said a sticking point on who would monitor compliance with the ceasefire been resolved in the last 24 hours with an agreement to set up a five-country committee, including France and chaired by the US.