Lebanon notified Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire ‘to be announced on Tuesday’

US and French leaders involved in brokering agreement

Israel has expanded its attacks across Lebanon, including in the Dahieh neighbourhood of Beirut. AP

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Lebanese officials have been notified that a ceasefire agreement to end the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is set to be announced on Tuesday, a senior Lebanese official has told The National.

"Lebanon has just been informed that a ceasefire deal will be announced tomorrow," the official said on Monday, adding that the US and France have been involved in brokering the agreement.

The ceasefire proposal outlines a truce under which Israel would withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon within days, while Beirut posts troops to the border and Hezbollah fighters retreat, enabling thousands of displaced Israelis to return to their homes in the north. A US-led committee would be established during this period to oversee a permanent ceasefire involving UN peacekeepers in Lebanon (Unifil), Lebanese and Israeli officials, and representatives from other countries such as the UK and France.

At the White House, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that ceasefire efforts are going in a “very positive” direction. “But nothing is negotiated until everything is negotiated,” he said.

Parties involved in ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hezbollah expressed optimism on Monday that a deal could be reached soon, but sources urged caution until the deal is officially announced, amid escalating border clashes and Israel's continuing air assaults. "We are optimistic yet cautious," the Deputy Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament Elias Bou Saab said on Monday, following remarks by Israel's ambassador to the US Michael Herzog, who stated that the sides "are close to a deal".

Israel's UN ambassador Danny Danon also confirmed the ceasefire was moving forward. A senior US official told Axios that the American side believes "there is a deal".

"We are at the goal line, but we haven't crossed it yet because the Israeli cabinet must approve the agreement tomorrow and something can always go wrong," added the official on Monday.

Reuters also reported that the US has informed Lebanese officials that a ceasefire could be announced "within hours". In Beirut, Lebanese officials involved in the negotiations stressed the need for caution, despite the optimism that has emerged following US envoy Amos Hochstein's visit to Beirut and Israel last week.

"The experience with [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu does not inspire confidence in this matter," a Lebanese official told The National. "The most important point for Lebanon is to ensure that there is nothing that allows Israel to freely attack us."

Mr Hochstein’s talks in Beirut and Tel Aviv between Tuesday and Thursday focused primarily on clearing the remaining hurdles, particularly Israel’s insistence on maintaining the right to freedom of action against Hezbollah after the war, a demand Lebanon firmly rejects. According to three officials and diplomats who attended meetings or were briefed on the matter, Lebanon asked Mr Hochstein, before his departure to Israel, to get clarification on the nature of US “guarantees” that would ensure Israel respects the agreement.

One proposed solution to address the “right to self-defence” clause – which could provide Israel with a pretext to attack Lebanon without warning – is for Israel to lodge its complaints with the committee. The committee would then relay the complaints to the Lebanese Army and Unifil, setting a deadline for action before Israel intervenes, the sources explained, adding that this solution is under discussion.

Last week, Lebanese officials involved in the ceasefire talks were informed of “extensive” co-ordination between US President Joe Biden and president-elect Donald Trump’s teams to secure a deal, with more hurdles addressed in recent days, officials and diplomats told The National last week.

'Extracting concessions'

During meetings in Beirut this week, US officials and Western diplomats conveyed the message that gave Lebanese officials hope a ceasefire could soon be achieved through the mediation efforts of Mr Hochstein, which have brought an agreement within reach. Regional diplomats and officials close to the talks understand the Biden administration is pushing to end the war to secure a diplomatic achievement before the end of his term after a period of perceived setbacks, while Mr Trump is eager to see a deal finalised before he takes office.

Meanwhile, the war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group has escalated following Mr Hochstein's critical talks. Israel widened its campaign across Lebanon, launching heavy attacks on the capital Beirut. A Lebanese soldier was killed and 18 injured in a strike on an army centre between Tyre and Naqoura, in southern Lebanon, on Sunday, a day after at least 29 people were killed in an Israeli attack on the centre of Beirut.

Hezbollah fired about 250 rockets at Israel on Sunday, with the Israeli military saying houses were destroyed or set alight near Tel Aviv. Fighting along the border has also intensified.

Mr Bou Saab accused Israel of intensifying attacks to "extract concessions" as the two sides approach a deal. "As the enemy approaches the serious phase, it escalates its actions to extract concessions. The enemy's actions, crimes and aggression are pressures to impose its terms. We are nearing a decisive moment and a ceasefire."

At least 3,754 people have been killed and more than 15,625 injured in Lebanon since the outbreak of hostilities in October last year, according to Lebanese authorities. On Sunday, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said Israel and Hezbollah should be pressured to accept the ceasefire proposal.

Mr Borrell, who met Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati to discuss “urgent key steps” to end the war, added that a truce was vital to allow displaced people on both sides of the border to return home. "The Israeli army has erased 37 entire villages in south Lebanon and continues to drop one-tonne bombs on central Beirut,” Mr Borrell said on X. "This must stop, as do Hezbollah’s attacks on Israeli communities."

Jihan Abdalla in Washington contributed to this report.