U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron are said to be close to announcing a ceasefire for Lebanon following intense diplomatic efforts, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
The agreement would apparently halt hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, which have been escalating since September. There has been no indication of a forthcoming ceasefire agreement for Gaza.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby indicated significant progress in negotiations for Lebanon. “We’re close,” he said, but added, “nothing is done until everything is done.”
Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes pummeled the southern suburbs of Beirut as talks continued. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office refrained from commenting on reports of an agreement, but a senior Israeli official revealed that today’s cabinet meeting will focus on approving the deal.
The news comes just days after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his defense minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes in Gaza. The EU court found “reasonable grounds to believe” that the two politicians had committed jointly and with others war crimes including “starvation as a method of warfare,” “murder,” “persecution,” and other “inhumane acts,” from at least October 8, 2023 until at least May 20, 2024.
The death toll from Israel’s wars on Hamas and Hezbollah has surpassed 3,700 in Lebanon, and now exceeds 44,000 in Palestinian territories. Most of the latter are women and children.