Draft of U.S.-brokered 60-day truce between Israel and Hezbollah leaked

The Joe Biden administration's preliminary draft for a 60-day truce between Israel and Hezbollah, the pro-Iran militant group based in Lebanon, has been leaked, raising suspicions about potential interference by anti-ceasefire factions. Hezbollah’s new leader, Naim Qassem, also voiced opposition to the truce, declaring his intention to “continue down the path of war,” further casting doubt on the proposal's viability.

The truce proposal, dated Wednesday, was outlined by Amos Hochstein, the Biden administration’s Middle East envoy, who has been traveling between Israel and Lebanon. According to KAN, the Israeli public broadcaster, the draft calls for the United Nations peacekeeping forces and the Lebanese army to disarm Hezbollah while Israel withdraws from Lebanon within a week of the truce’s initiation. Hochstein and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet reportedly agreed to discuss the proposal on Thursday.

In a local media interview on Wednesday, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said he had a phone conversation with Hochstein. He expressed optimism about the ceasefire's potential and hinted it could be finalized within days, potentially before the upcoming U.S. presidential election on November 5.

Yet, signs of resistance emerged as Hezbollah's Secretary-General Qassem, during his first televised address on Tuesday, reaffirmed his commitment to continue the conflict. Dismissing claims that Hezbollah acts solely as an Iranian proxy, Qassem stated, “We are fighting Israel to defend Lebanese territory, not on behalf of anyone else.” He left a door open for a truce but remarked, “We will only accept terms that meet our conditions, which so far, have not been proposed.”

Meanwhile, analysts speculate that Iran might retaliate against Israel before the U.S. presidential election. Following Israel’s October 26 airstrikes on Iranian weapons facilities—a response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack on Israeli territory on October 1—an Iranian official told CNN that Iran’s response to Israel’s “Zionist aggression will be decisive and painful” and may occur before the election.

Israel’s operations in Lebanon have been continuing as well. On Tuesday, Israeli tanks advanced approximately 6 kilometers into Lebanon’s southern region near Khiam, marking the furthest incursion since Israel launched its ground operation in southern Lebanon on October 1, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.


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