A ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon is expected to be announced “soon", Lebanese officials told the Financial Times on Wednesday night.
Two people familiar with the matter and quoted in the report said that a truce between Israel and the Hezbollah terrorist organization could come into effect “this week", most likely after Israeli ground forces finish taking the key town of Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Security Cabinet held a meeting on Wednesday night and into Thursday morning. The meeting concluded after about four hours, without reaching a decision on a ceasefire with Lebanon.
An Israeli official said at the end of the discussion that "at this stage, we are not approaching a ceasefire."
Earlier on Wednesday, the Lebanese newspaper An-Nahar reported that Lebanese-Israeli talks under US auspices have resulted in agreement on a framework that falls short of a formal ceasefire but is expected to pave the way for negotiations aimed at disarming Hezbollah and advancing toward bilateral peace.
The reported framework seeks to address shortcomings of the November 2024 ceasefire agreement, which did not achieve its primary objective of disarming Hezbollah and failed to ease the impact of ongoing Israeli military activity on Lebanese civilians.
The conflict in Lebanon has become a sticking point in broader efforts to end the US-Israeli war against Iran that began on February 28.
US President Donald Trump announced a 14-day ceasefire with Iran but US and Israeli officials have made clear that the Iran ceasefire does not include Lebanon and Hezbollah. In contrast, Iran and Pakistan, which has acted as mediator between the US and Iran, have insisted Lebanon is part of the ceasefire.
Iranian Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Wednesday insisted once again that no ceasefire in Iran would be possible without the inclusion of Lebanon.
“The completion and consolidation of a comprehensive ceasefire in Lebanon will be the result of the resistance and steadfast struggle of the great Hezbollah and the unity of the Axis of Resistance," Ghalibaf wrote in a post on social media.
He added, “The United States must comply with the agreement. Resistance and Iran are one soul, both in war and in ceasefire. America should withdraw from ‘Israel First’ mistake."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday night that the IDF is continuing “to strike" Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and “reinforcing" the security zone inside the country.
Netanyahu added the fighting was focused on Bint Jbeil, saying the IDF is “about to defeat" subdue that area.