Biden envoy says "there is a shot" of ceasefire in Lebanon soon
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Smoke billows from Beirut's southern suburbs after an Israeli strike. Photo: Patrick Baz/AFP via Getty Images
President Biden's senior adviser Amos Hochstein said he believes "there is a shot" of securing a ceasefire deal in Lebanon soon, telling Axios: "I am hopeful we can get it."
Why it matters: A ceasefire deal would stop more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and significantly de-escalate the regional war for the first time since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.
- It would be a major achievement for Biden in his final months in office.
- A ceasefire in Lebanon before Jan. 20 would also serve President-elect Trump's interests and take one Middle East crisis off his plate.
Driving the news: U.S. officials said Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu indicated to the Biden administration that he wants to end the war in Lebanon within weeks.
- Israeli minister for strategic affairs Ron Dermer met on Monday evening with Hochstein and Brett McGurk, another key Biden adviser, and discussed the efforts to reach a ceasefire in Lebanon.
- On Tuesday morning, Dermer met with White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan to continue the discussions.
- A U.S. official said the meetings with Dermer were productive and closed many of the remaining gaps between the U.S. and Israel regarding the text of the ceasefire agreement and a side letter Israel has requested.
Between the lines: The letter would include a U.S. commitment allowing Israel to take military action in Lebanon if the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers don't prevent Hezbollah from reestablishing military activity near the border, or from smuggling heavy weapons into Lebanon, U.S. officials said.
- "It is not quite a done deal, but close to it," one U.S. official said.
What to watch: After the talks with Dermer, the U.S. must receive a response from the Lebanese government and from Lebanese speaker of parliament Nabih Berri, who negotiates on behalf of Hezbollah, Hochstein said.
- Hochstein said it is not yet clear whether he needs to take another trip to Beirut in order to seal the deal.
