Israel responds to US request to consider temporary ceasefire in Lebanon amid Washington talks

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Mariella Succar

Israel has responded to a U.S. request to consider a temporary ceasefire in Lebanon as a goodwill gesture toward the Lebanese government, following a round of talks held in Washington on Tuesday.

The Israeli cabinet is expected to discuss the issue on Wednesday amid strong opposition from several ministers and officials.

Israeli officials had previously said during the Washington talks with Lebanon that any decision on a ceasefire in Lebanon would be contingent on progress in negotiations with Iran. They also insisted that the deployment of Israeli forces in a buffer zone in southern Lebanon is not open to negotiation. 

Officials described the talks as the beginning of a new phase aimed at weakening Hezbollah.

Israeli commentators said there is cautious optimism about potential progress toward Lebanon’s request for a ceasefire, while emphasizing that a significant gap remains between political statements and the situation on the ground.

They also said that disarming Hezbollah remains, in their view, a difficult objective for the Lebanese government to achieve. They added that negotiations with Beirut are seen as a means to help the Lebanese state confront Hezbollah and shift the situation in Lebanon toward an area free of Hezbollah presence.

Former Israeli military intelligence chief Amos Yadlin said that, ahead of a second round of Israeli-Lebanese negotiations, the Israeli military is racing to consolidate control over positions in southern Lebanon that it plans to secure, in order to define the geography of the proposed buffer zone.

He added that, instead of fulfilling commitments to Washington to reduce the size of its combat forces in Lebanon, the military is reinforcing them with additional vehicles and troops following heavy fighting with Hezbollah fighters. 

He said this presents a major challenge to ongoing ground operations, which are being supported extensively by air power.