Efforts by the United States to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah have hit a dead end after the US proposed a “60-day truce” that was deemed "unrealistic" and Israel insisted on having direct control to enforce a truce, according to sources familiar with the negotiations who spoke to Reuters on Friday.
With no viable ceasefire proposal ahead of Tuesday’s US presidential election, the conflict may continue for months, said a Lebanese political source close to Hezbollah, two diplomats, and a source briefed on the negotiations.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office did not respond to requests for comment.
A US official noted that talks between American envoys and Israeli officials on Thursday were more productive than expected. Another US official characterized the discussions as “substantive” and “constructive,” while emphasizing that the US would avoid public negotiation.
The State Department referred Reuters to statements by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who indicated on Thursday that Israel and Lebanon were progressing toward a mutual understanding on ending the conflict, though more steps were required.
The US proposal had outlined a 60-day ceasefire during which Hezbollah would retreat from Lebanon’s southern border, both sides would cease hostilities, and 10,000 Lebanese army troops would be deployed in the south, as reported by Israel's public broadcaster Kan. However, diplomats indicated to Reuters that the proposal was “totally unrealistic” due to the heavy demands on the Lebanese army.
“It was totally unrealistic because of the onus it places on the Lebanese army to solve these problems,” a Western diplomat told Reuters.
A regional diplomat questioned specific terms in a “side letter” between the US and Israel, published by Kan, which allowed Israel to act against immediate threats. The diplomat described this plan as “unworkable.”
The Biden administration's special envoy to Lebanon, Amos Hochstein, who was in Israel on Thursday for a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, denied the Reuters report, writing on X, "This is false."
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)