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November 27, 2024 | 12:03 am
TEMPO.CO, Jerusalem - Israel mounted waves of pounding airstrikes in Beirut on Tuesday as its security cabinet was due to discuss a ceasefire deal with its Hezbollah foes that could take effect as soon as Wednesday.
A senior Israeli official and Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib appeared optimistic a deal could be reached, clearing the way for an end to a conflict that has killed thousands of people since it was ignited by the Gaza war last year.
Despite the possibility of an imminent diplomatic breakthrough, hostilities raged as Israel dramatically ramped up its campaign of air strikes in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon.
A Hezbollah parliament member in Lebanon, Hassan Fadlallah, said the country faced "dangerous, sensitive hours" during the wait for a possible ceasefire announcement.
With the security cabinet due to meet to discuss the deal, which a senior Israeli official had said was likely to be approved, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he would speak on Tuesday at 8 p.m. (18:00 GMT). A government official said the cabinet meeting had started.
Israeli approval of the deal would pave the way for a ceasefire declaration by U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron, four senior Lebanese sources told Reuters on Monday.
The ceasefire could come into effect on Wednesday morning, triggering a 60-day truce, a Western diplomat said.
However, there was no indication that a truce in Lebanon would hasten a ceasefire and hostage-release deal in devastated Gaza, where Israel is battling the Palestinian group Hamas.
The agreement requires Israeli troops to withdraw from south Lebanon and Lebanon's army to deploy in the region, officials say. Hezbollah would end its armed presence along the border south of the Litani River.
Bou Habib said the Lebanese army would be ready to have at least 5,000 troops deployed in southern Lebanon as Israeli troops withdraw, and that the United States could play a role in rebuilding infrastructure destroyed by Israeli strikes.
Israel demands effective U.N. enforcement of an eventual ceasefire with Lebanon and will show "zero tolerance" toward any infraction, Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday.
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