Israeli Cabinet set to vote on Lebanon cease-fire deal

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) - The Israeli Cabinet is set to convene on Tuesday to vote on a US-backed cease-fire proposal with Lebanon, Israeli media said.

The Israeli public broadcaster KAN said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to approve the cease-fire deal with Lebanon through the Security Cabinet, not the government.

KAN said that approving the deal does not require the consent of the Knesset (Israel's parliament).

US President Joe Biden and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron are expected to announce the deal between Israel and Lebanon for 60 days within 36 hours.

However, KAN, citing an Israeli official, called the agreement "fragile."

"This is not the end of the war, this is a cease-fire agreement that will be tested daily,” the source said.

The cease-fire agreement includes a monitoring mechanism with US and French involvement, along with a possibility for the UK to join, according to KAN.

Under the agreement, Hezbollah will withdraw to the north of the Litani River in accordance with UN Resolution 1701 that ended the Israeli-Lebanese war in 2006, the broadcaster said.

Israeli media reported early Monday that a cease-fire deal is expected to be announced between Israel and Hezbollah within two days.

Lebanese parliamentarian Qassem Hashem also said on Monday that a cease-fire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel is nearing completion and could be declared within the next 36 hours if negotiations proceed smoothly.

“The atmosphere is positive, and cease-fire discussions have reached an advanced stage. It’s only a matter of hours before an agreement is finalized and announced if progress continues as expected,” Hashem told Anadolu.

Israel has escalated its airstrikes in Lebanon against what it claims are Hezbollah targets as part of year-long warfare against the Lebanese group since the start of the Gaza war last year.

More than 3,760 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Lebanon, with nearly 15,700 injured and over a million displaced since last October, according to Lebanese health authorities.

Israel on Oct. 1 this year expanded the conflict by launching a ground assault into southern Lebanon.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara