The White House has stated that U.S. officials believe they are close to securing a ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah movement as reports indicated substantial progress in the effort to bring calm to one of the most volatile fronts of an ongoing regional conflict.
Speaking to reporters on a press call Monday, National Security Council Communications Adviser John Kirby said that recent talks held in Beirut by U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein were "constructive, and we believe that the trajectory of this is going in a very positive direction."
"We are where we are today because of a lot of back and forth, a lot of discussions, a lot of work, principally by Amos, of course, and we believe we've reached this point where we're close," Kirby said.
"But again, I want to be careful and cautious here on how I characterize it because until you get everything done, you don't have a deal," he added. "So, that's kind of where we are."
Kirby's comments came hours after Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Mike Herzog told Israeli Army Radio that "an agreement with Lebanon could be within days." Multiple Israeli media outlets, including Kan, Ynet and Haaretz, reported Sunday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had approved a ceasefire deal in principle.
Newsweek has reached out to Hezbollah and the Israeli Consulate General in New York for comment.
Iran, which is the top supporter of Hezbollah and the broader Axis of Resistance coalition engaged in a multi-front conflict with Israel since the attack led by the Palestinian Hamas movement last October, has also signaled support for a deal.
During his visit to Beirut on November 14, Ali Larijani, an adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, met with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who has played a leading role in ceasefire discussions on behalf of Hezbollah, which is allied to his Amal Movement.
In an interview published Monday by Khamenei's official website, Larijani said that Berri had "explained the progress of these discussions to me, and he seemed optimistic that they would lead to a resolution."
"Of course, we are also in favor of a ceasefire," Larijani said. "The sooner this is achieved, the better it will be for the people. However, as for the specifics and finer details of the negotiations, we do not interfere in these matters."
"The Lebanese authorities – either Mr. Nabih Berri or his friends or Hezbollah – are carefully examining these issues and possess very good capacities to address them," he added. "Whatever decision they reach, Iran will support the Lebanese government."
This is a developing news story. More information will be added as it becomes available.
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