Israel is reportedly planning to advance a ceasefire deal in Lebanon as an early foreign policy “gift” to President-elect Donald Trump.
“There is an understanding that Israel would gift something to Trump … that in January there will be an understanding about Lebanon,” an Israeli official told The Washington Post.
The report comes as Ron Dermer, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s minister of strategic affairs, traveled to Mar-a-Lago on Sunday before heading to the White House to update Biden administration officials on how talks with Lebanon are progressing.
A close aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Donald Trump and Jared Kushner this week that Israel is rushing to advance a cease-fire deal in Lebanon, according to three current and former Israeli officials briefed on the meeting, with the aim of delivering an early foreign policy win to the president-elect. [...]
On Sunday, the Israeli official said, the conversations at Trump’s Florida residence focused on an Israeli cease-fire proposal for Lebanon involving Western and Russian cooperation. An Israeli military official said plans were also being created to ramp up ground operations in Lebanon if talks were to ultimately fall apart. [...]
The broad contours of the agreement taking shape are similar to those in previous rounds of negotiations and align with Trump’s expressed desire to put an end to Israel’s multifront war, but the plan has yet to be formally submitted to Hezbollah, according to officials in both countries. And the proposal calls for the Israeli military to be able to operate across the border in case of violations — a nonstarter for Lebanese officials.
Trump has repeatedly said he wants conflicts in the Middle East to end and has spoken to Netanyahu at least three times since winning the election, the prime minister said.
We see eye-to-eye on the Iranian threat in all its aspects, and on the dangers they reflect. We also see the great opportunities facing Israel, in the area of peace and its expansion, and in other areas.
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) November 10, 2024