The Biden Administration is pushing for a 60-day pause in the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing two sources.
According to the report, the pause period would be utilized to complete the full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which was instituted following the 2006 war to prevent Hezbollah from operating in southern Lebanon.
The sources, a person briefed on the talks and a senior diplomat working on the matter, told Reuters that the the current plan has replaced the US proposal for a 21-day ceasefire as a prelude to 1701 coming into full force.
Both sources warned that the deal could still fall through. "There is an earnest push to get to a ceasefire, but it is still hard to get it to materialize," the diplomat said.
Earlier in the day, Axios reported, citing three sources, that US presidential envoy Amos Hochstein and Biden's adviser Brett McGurk will land in Israel on Thursday in a last stitch effort to close a deal on Lebanon before election day.
If the plan were agreed on within the next month, it could pause the fighting until the end of President Biden's term, leaving the task to find a more permanent solution to the next administration.