Biden and Macron are expected to quickly announce an armistice between Israel and Lebanon

Four senior Lebanese sources said on Monday that US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron are expected to announce a cease-fire agreement between Hezbollah in Lebanon and Israel soon.

In Washington, White House national security spokesman John Kirby (John Kirby) said, “We're close to success, but we can't do anything until everything is done.”

The French presidential palace said that discussions on a cease-fire have made significant progress. In Jerusalem, a senior Israeli official said the Israeli cabinet will meet on Tuesday to approve the armistice agreement reached with Hezbollah.

At the same time as signs of a diplomatic breakthrough appeared, Israel carried out heavy air raids on the southern suburbs controlled by Hezbollah in Beirut. Israel continued to advance the offensive launched in September after nearly a year of cross-border hostilities.

Prime Minister Netanyahu's office declined to comment on reports that Israel and Lebanon had agreed on the text of the agreement. But a senior Israeli official told Reuters that the cabinet meeting on Tuesday was aimed at approving the text of the agreement.

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon (Danny Danon), said that under any agreement, Israel will maintain its ability to attack southern Lebanon. Lebanon has previously opposed language granting Israel this right.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller (Matthew Miller) said that the differences between the two sides have been greatly reduced, but some measures are still needed to reach an agreement.

He said, “Normally, the final stage of an agreement is the most difficult because the toughest issues are left to the end. We're doing our best.”

The purpose of diplomacy is for Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel to end the fighting that broke out in October 2023. The conflict in Lebanon has escalated dramatically over the past two months.

In Beirut, the Deputy Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament Elias Bou Saab (Elias Bou Saab) told Reuters that “there are no serious obstacles” to begin implementing the cease-fire agreement proposed by the US with Israel “unless Netanyahu changes his mind.”

He said the proposal would require Israel to withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon within 60 days and deploy regular Lebanese forces in the border area, which has long been a stronghold of Hezbollah.

He said that the sticking point of who will monitor compliance with the cease-fire has been resolved in the past 24 hours, and the parties have agreed to establish a five-nation committee, which includes France, and is chaired by the United States.

Despite progress in diplomacy, hostilities have intensified. Over the weekend, Israel launched powerful air strikes, one of which killed at least 29 people in downtown Beirut, while Hezbollah launched its biggest rocket attack to date last Sunday, firing 250 missiles at Israel.

In Beirut, Israeli air strikes leveled more of Hezbollah's southern suburbs on Monday, leaving the Lebanese capital in ruins. The Lebanese Ministry of Health said that 31 people were killed and 62 were injured as a result of Israel's attacks across the country on Monday. Over the past year, more than 3,750 people have been killed and more than 1 million people have been forced to leave their homes, according to the Ministry.

Israel has carried out a major blow against Hezbollah, killing its leader Hassan Nasrallah and other senior commanders, and causing extensive damage in areas of Lebanon controlled by the group. Israel said its military attack was aimed at enabling tens of thousands of Israelis to return to their homes where they had vacated when Hezbollah began firing on Israel over the Lebanese border more than a year ago.

Hezbollah attacks have killed 45 civilians in northern Israel and the Golan Heights occupied by Israel. According to Israeli authorities, at least 73 Israeli soldiers were killed in fighting in northern Israel, the Golan Heights, and southern Lebanon.

The Biden administration will step down in January next year. He has always emphasized ending the conflict in Lebanon through diplomatic means, while at the same time, all negotiations aimed at stopping the war in Gaza have been frozen.

US Middle East envoy Brett McGurk (Brett McGurk) will travel to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to discuss how to use a possible cease-fire in Lebanon to push for an agreement to end the hostilities in Gaza, the White House said.

The focus of Lebanese diplomacy is on restoring a cease-fire based on UN Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the last large-scale war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006. It demanded that Hizbollah withdraw its fighters behind the Litani River, some 30 km from the Israeli border, and that the regular Lebanese army enter the border area. Israel and Hezbollah accuse each other of failing to implement the cease-fire agreement in the past.

The new deal could reveal a rift in Netanyahu's right-wing government. Far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir (Itamar Ben-Gvir) said Israel must continue the war until an “absolute victory” is achieved. “It's not too late to stop this agreement,” he said to Netanyahu on X!