The proposed cease-fire deal is expected to come before the cabinet for a vote soon, in which, if passed, the Israeli forces will pull out of Lebanese lines for an initial period of 60 days. The deal also provides for the formation of an international steering committee, headed by Americans to oversight the implementation of the agreement.
In return, Hezbollah is expected to redeploy its forces in the areas south of the Litani River to the Lebanese Army. Mike Herzog, the Israeli Ambassador to the United States, seemed confident and said the deal could be done in days despite some outstanding issues.
The possible deal would be the first ceasefire since Israel began a ground operation in Lebanon in early October. The Lebanese Hezbollah has refrained from directly endorsing the deal but supporters have quoted Hezbollah’s support and efforts during the fighting.
Needless to say, even while the negotiations are ongoing, the violence persists. Assaults on Monday said to have killed 31 people in Lebanon, 26 of them in the south, officially – as per Lebanon’s Health Ministry. However, Israel has qualified its position by saying that it would only respond if it felt that Hezbollah was breaching an agreement.
The fighting which escalated in September has caused heavy loss of lives on the two warring factions. Lebanese authorities estimate that over 3700 individuals have been killed in the Israeli’s attacks while in the latter over 70 individuals have died with 40 being civilians.
It has emerged that the parties have agreed in the ceasefire talks as other international bodies sought to bring solution to the increasing violence and humanitarian crisis in the particular area. If positive, then the agreement may open a path to a cease fire with the enemy and perhaps a framework for a longer-term cease fire.
