Senior US officials say that an agreement for a temporary 21-day ceasefire with Hezbollah is expected in the coming hours. This was reported this morning (Thursday) on Sky News.
Sources in Netanyahu's office told Channel 12 that there is a 'green light' for a temporary ceasefire for the purposes of negotiations. According to senior US officials, behind-the-scenes diplomatic moves have led the sides to be close to an agreement.
""The ceasefire will last for 21 days along the Blue Line (the line between Israel and Lebanon)," the officials said. "During these 21 days, the parties will negotiate towards a possible resolution to the conflict that has been ongoing since Hezbollah launched an attack on October 8, and to reach a comprehensive agreement along the Blue Line that will allow residents to return to their homes in both Lebanon and Israel.".
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American officials made it clear that this is an agreement only for the northern region, not related to the Gaza Strip, but that it may create space for progress in Gaza. "The agreement will buy some time and space to try to advance an arrangement in the Gaza Strip along the lines of the hostage deal that we talked about," said an American official.
Sky News also reported that in the event of an agreement being signed, Hezbollah itself would not be a signatory to the agreement, but American officials said that the Lebanese government would coordinate the signing with Hezbollah.
Earlier, US President Joe Biden said that there was "significant support" from Europe and Arab countries to bring about a ceasefire. "We were able to mobilize significant support from both Europe and Arab countries... It is important that the war does not expand," Biden said.
In light of the reports, Likud MKs told Kan News: "If Netanyahu goes for a ceasefire, we will consider our vote to approve the budget on Sunday.".
The Otzma Yehudit faction will convene in the coming hours for an urgent meeting.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich responded on his Twitter account: "The campaign in the north must end in one scenario - crushing Hezbollah and denying its ability to harm the residents of the north. The enemy must not be given time to recover from the severe blows it has suffered and reorganize to continue the war after 21 days. Hezbollah's surrender or war, that's the only way we will return the residents and security to the north and the country.".
Minister Amichai Shikli: "It is impossible to complete the campaign in the north without a ground operation aimed at creating a buffer zone and re-evaluating our forces in order to remove the threat of an invasion of the Galilee and a repeat of the evacuation of settlements in a future campaign. We must not stop now.".
Settlement Minister Orit Struck: "There is no moral mandate for a ceasefire. Not for 21 days, nor for 21 hours. Hezbollah has turned Lebanon into a barrel of explosives. We won't stop until they fix it.".
MK Yitzhak Kreuzer: "There is no one in the world who guaranteed that the organization would implement Resolution 1701, no international organization is capable of enforcing it, and there is not a single sane person in Israel who has the innocence left that a paper agreement signed with the enemy is worth.".
Minister of Culture and Sports Miki Zohar claimed: "A ceasefire without any significant change from Hezbollah - a serious mistake that jeopardizes Israel's major security achievements in recent days. I very much hope that the reports are incorrect, we must continue with all our strength until a clear decision is made in the north.".
MK Dan Illoz of the Likud: "A proposal for a ceasefire with Hezbollah is absolute madness and a dereliction of duty for the citizens of Israel. Hezbollah is at a critical point of weakness – it is time to reduce the threat it poses to us, not give it a lifeline. Those who promote the ceasefire and those who might agree to it are giving Hezbollah exactly what it needs – time to recover, arm itself and strike us again. Haven't we learned anything from history?""
Opposition leader Yair Lapid: "The State of Israel should announce this morning that it accepts the Biden-Macron proposal for a ceasefire, but only for 7 days in order to prevent Hezbollah from restoring its command and control systems. We will not accept any proposal that does not include removing Hezbollah from our northern border. Any proposal that is put forward must allow the residents of the north to immediately return safely to their homes and lead to the renewal of negotiations for a hostage deal. Any violation - even the slightest - of the ceasefire will lead to Israel attacking again with full force in all areas of Lebanon.".
Royal Right Party Chairman Gideon Sa'ar responded to Lapid: "Turn around, Gutta, turn around! From a temporary ceasefire as proposed - only Hezbollah will benefit.".
Earlier, Sa'ar wrote: "The moderation of the Air Force's attacks in Lebanon in recent days and the avoidance of attacks to dismantle Hezbollah's capabilities in the Beirut area in the same way as was done in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa - mistakes. Continuity and systematic activity are essential for destroying the bulk of Hezbollah's capabilities to threaten the Israeli home front. Avoiding this allows Hezbollah to take actions that will make the mission more difficult in the future.".
In his remarks to the ambassadors of the European Union countries in Israel, Sa'ar said this morning: "I oppose a temporary ceasefire in the north now, which would only be good for Hezbollah and would allow it to recover from the severe blows it has suffered. I have not seen international pressure for a ceasefire in the north during the entire last year in which Hezbollah has been shelling northern Israel.".
Lobby 1701 said following reports of a ceasefire in the north: "A temporary ceasefire without a sustainable solution is a betrayal of the residents of the north who sacrificed their lives for almost a year. The cessation of fighting will allow Hezbollah to rearm with destructive Iranian missiles, rebuild its military structure, and introduce special forces from Shiite militias.".
