The Israeli government will vote on a ceasefire deal in Lebanon in the coming hours, Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesman said, after a source familiar with the matter said the Israeli prime minister had approved the plan “in principle”.
Netanyahu signaled his potential approval of the upcoming ceasefire with Hezbollah during security consultations with Israeli officials on Sunday night, the source said.
His spokesman told CNN that the Israeli government would vote on the proposed deal today and said it was expected to pass.
Sources familiar with the talks said earlier that the talks appeared to be moving positively toward an agreement, but acknowledged that as Israel and Hezbollah continue to exchange fire, one misstep could derail the talks.
But later yesterday evening, a Lebanese official familiar with the discussions said a ceasefire was expected to be announced “within 24 hours”.
Reports that a deal is nearing have been met with mixed reactions in Israel.
Pictures capture the exact moment an Israeli missile hits a building in Beirut
Itamar Ben Gvir, the country’s far-right national security minister, called the deal “a big mistake” and said it would be a “historic missed opportunity to root out Hezbollah.”
Ben Gvir has also long worked to thwart potential cease-fire agreements between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Benny Gantz, who resigned from Israel’s war cabinet in June over Netanyahu’s handling of the Gaza war, called on the prime minister to release details of the ceasefire deal.
Residents of northern Israel – many of whom have been displaced by the conflict, along with residents of southern Lebanon across the border – have also expressed concern about the potential deal.
US envoy Amos Hochstein said in Beirut last week that a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon was “within reach” but that it was ultimately “a decision of the parties”.
He met with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, an interlocutor with Hezbollah in the talks, and said there had been “constructive” and “very good discussions to narrow the gaps.”
“We have a real opportunity to end the conflict,” he added last week.
He traveled from Lebanon to Israel on Wednesday to try to “finish” the negotiations.
The US-backed proposal aims to achieve a 60-day cessation of hostilities that some hope could form the basis of a permanent ceasefire.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Hochstein’s conversations were “constructive.”
He said the Biden administration believes “the trajectory of this is going in a very positive direction,” but cautioned that “nothing is done until everything is done.”
Israel launched a major military offensive in Lebanon in mid-September after months of “tear-for-tat” border attacks that began on October 8 last year when Hezbollah attacked Israeli-controlled territory in solidarity with Hamas and the Palestinians in Gaza.
Since then, Israel has launched a ground invasion, killed a number of Hezbollah leaders – including one of its founders, Hassan Nasrallah – and wounded thousands in a bomb blast.