US and Lebanon call on Israel to halt attacks on Hezbollah - Axios
The Prime Minister of Israel has not yet made a decision (Photo: Getty Images)
The Lebanese government and the Trump administration have asked Israel to suspend its attacks against Hezbollah before negotiations between Israel and Lebanon begin next week, according to Axios.
As Axios writes, Israel's offensive in Lebanon has become a stumbling block in US-Iran negotiations. Specifically, Tehran claims that Israel is violating the ceasefire regime. The US denies that Lebanon was part of the two-week ceasefire agreement but has called on Israel to de-escalate.
At the same time, the US, the Lebanese government, and Israel do not want to dictate any conditions in Lebanon that could help the Iranian proxy, Hezbollah.
In Beirut, they say that any ceasefire must be the result of negotiations between Israel and the Lebanese government. Some Israeli officials agree with this and believe it is in their country's interest to announce a pause in the context of negotiations with the Lebanese government.
Axios writes that the Lebanese government, through US intermediaries, has asked Israel to make a gesture before the meeting on Tuesday and to suspend airstrikes on the country.
Specifically, the Lebanese have proposed that Israel return to the terms of the November 2024 ceasefire agreement and strike only in the event of threats from Hezbollah.
Sources say the US supports Lebanon's request and is urging Israel to accept it. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering the request but has not yet made a decision.
However, Axios adds that agreeing to a ceasefire would be politically problematic for Netanyahu. His government would prefer to negotiate with Lebanon under fire.
But a second source said that Netanyahu might agree to a short tactical pause in airstrikes.
Axios also reported that next week, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam is expected to visit Washington and meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. This will be the first bilateral visit by a senior Lebanese official to Washington since the Trump administration took office.
Lebanon was left without a ceasefire
US President Donald Trump recently announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran. Pakistan stated that the ceasefire applied to all countries in the Middle East, but Netanyahu denied this.
For this reason, even after the ceasefire began, Lebanese territory continued to be shelled. As part of the agreements with the US, Iran opened the Strait of Hormuz, but after the attack on Lebanon, Tehran decided to close the waterway.
Later, after further bombings, Benjamin Netanyahu announced his intention to begin direct negotiations with Lebanon to establish peace and disarm Hezbollah.
