Lebanon says US truce plan 'very positive'

The Lebanese government has largely endorsed a US truce proposal to end the Israel-Hezbollah war and was preparing final comments before sending a response to Washington, a Lebanese official told AFP on Monday.

Since September 23, Israel has intensified its air campaign in Lebanon, later sending in ground troops, nearly a year into limited exchanges of fire initiated by Hezbollah in support of Palestinian ally Hamas after its October 7, 2023 attack sparked the Gaza war.

France and Washington have spearheaded ceasefire efforts, with Lebanese officials on Friday saying the government was reviewing a US truce proposal in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

On Monday, a government official who has been following the talks closely said that "we have made a lot of progress. Lebanon has a very positive view on this proposal."

"We are finalising our last remarks about the US wording of the draft," the official added.

Another government official told AFP Beirut was "waiting for US special envoy Amos Hochstein to arrive so we can review certain outstanding points with him".

Both sources, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said Hochstein was expected in Beirut this week.

They also said Israel had not yet responded to the truce plan.

Later Monday, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters the US had been "sharing proposals, both with the Government of Lebanon and the Government of Israel. Both sides have reacted to the proposals that we have put forward".

"There has been an exchange of different ideas for how to see what we believe is in everyone's interest, which is the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, and we're going to continue to stay at that process," he added.

On Friday, a Lebanese official said the proposal that was being discussed was based on implementing Resolution 1701, which ended the last Hezbollah-Israel war of 2006, another official told AFP on Friday.

Resolution 1701 said Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers should be the only armed forces deployed in the south, where Hezbollah holds sway. It also called for Israel to withdraw troops from Lebanon.

The Lebanese official suggested Lebanon would object to an agreement that would allow Israel to keep conducting operations against Hezbollah inside Lebanon, as some media reports said Israel had demanded.

Another Lebanese official had earlier said US Ambassador Lisa Johnson discussed the plan on Thursday with Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Hezbollah-allied parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri, who has been involved in mediation efforts on behalf of the group.

The official said the proposal comprised "13 points spanning five pages".
If an agreement is reached, Washington and Paris would issue a joint statement, he said, followed by a 60-day truce during which Lebanon will redeploy troops in the southern border area, near Israel.

Lebanese authorities say more than 3,510 people have been killed since clashes began in October last year, with most casualties recorded since September.