Israel is moving towards a ceasefire in the war with Lebanon's Hezbollah, but there are still issues to address, its government said on Nov 25, while the Israeli ambassador to the United States was quoted as saying that a deal could happen within days.
Efforts to clinch a truce appeared to be advancing last week when US mediator Amos Hochstein declared significant progress after talks in Beirut before holding meetings in Israel and then returning to Washington.
But hostilities have intensified in parallel with the diplomatic movement.
Over the weekend, Israel carried out powerful air strikes, one of which killed at least 29 people in central Beirut, while the Iran-backed Hezbollah unleashed one of its biggest rocket salvoes yet on Nov 24, firing 250 missiles.
"We are moving in the direction towards a deal, but there are still some issues to address," Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said, without elaborating.
Mr Michael Herzog, the Israeli Ambassador to the US, told Israel's GLZ radio an agreement was close and "it could happen within days".
"We just need to close the last corners," he was quoted as saying in a post on X by GLZ senior anchorman Efi Triger.
This story is from the November 26, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
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This story is from the November 26, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
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