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A senior US mediator said on Tuesday there was a "real opportunity" to end the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah and that gaps were narrowing, signalling progress in Washington's efforts to clinch a ceasefire.
White House envoy Amos Hochstein spoke in Beirut following talks with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a day after the Lebanese government and Hezbollah agreed to a US ceasefire proposal, albeit with some comments on the content.
"I came back because we have a real opportunity to bring this conflict to an end," Hochstein said at a press conference after the meeting. "It is now within our grasp. As the window is now, I hope the coming days yield a resolute decision."
Hochstein's mission marks a last-ditch attempt by the outgoing US administration to clinch a ceasefire as diplomacy to end the Gaza war appears totally adrift.
Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said on Tuesday "there are talks regarding an arrangement with Lebanon" but reiterated that Israel would only agree if all its demands were met, including pushing Hezbollah away from the border.
The diplomatic efforts coincide with an intensification of the war, with Israel stepping up its strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs and striking three times in the capital itself in the last three days.
The conflict spiralled into all-out war in September when Israel went on the offensive, pounding wide areas of Lebanon with airstrikes, sending troops into the south, and killing many Hezbollah commanders including its leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Hochstein, who has tried and failed to broker a ceasefire several times over the last year, said "this is a moment of decision-making", but added "it's ultimately the decision of the parties to reach a conclusion to this conflict."
Hezbollah has endorsed its long-time ally Berri as Lebanon's negotiator. Hochstein flew to Beirut overnight after Lebanon delivered its written response to a US ceasefire proposal which Berri had received last week from the US ambassador.
Israel's declared goal is to dismantle Hezbollah's capabilities and secure the return of tens of thousands of Israelis who evacuated the north of the country.
The Israeli minister Cohen, speaking at the Yedioth Ahronoth transportation and energy conference on Tuesday, said Israel would "make an arrangement only if all our demands are met".
This "means pushing back Hezbollah, ensuring that Hezbollah cannot return and restore their strength, that the residents of the north can return safely to their homes, ensure that the IDF and security forces have full freedom of action, not just in the event of an attack, but in the event they try to restore their strength", he said.
Lebanon has rejected Israel being granted freedom of action. Berri said last week the US proposal did not mention this.
Israel's campaign in Lebanon has uprooted more than 1 million people in the last eight weeks.
World powers say a ceasefire must be based on UN Security Council Resolution 1701 which ended a 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. Its terms require Hezbollah to move weapons and fighters north of the Litani River, about 30km (20 miles) north of the Israeli border.
Ali Hassan Khalil, a top Berri aide, told Reuters on Monday that Lebanon had presented its comments on the US proposal "in a positive atmosphere". "All the comments that we presented affirm the precise adherence to Resolution 1701 with all its provisions," he said, declining to give details.
Israel's campaign has killed 3,481 people in Lebanon since hostilities began, most since late September, Lebanese authorities say.
Hezbollah strikes have killed 43 civilians in northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, while 73 soldiers have been killed in strikes in northern Israel and the Golan Heights and in combat in southern Lebanon, according to Israeli figures.
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