Significant progress made on Lebanon ceasefire - France

Discussions on a ceasefire in Lebanon have made significant progress, the French presidency has said, shortly after senior Lebanese sources said US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron were expected to announce a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel within 36 hours.

"We are continuing to work with (...) our American partners toward this direction (...) we hope all involved will seize this opportunity as soon as possible," the statement said.

A senior Israeli official said Israel's cabinet will meet tomorrow to consider the ceasefire deal that could be cemented in the coming days.

While a Lebanese official said its government had been told by the US that an accord could be announced "within hours".

Israeli officials had said earlier in the day that a deal to end the war was getting closer though there were still some issues to resolve, while two senior Lebanese officials voiced guarded optimism even as Israeli strikes pounded Lebanon anew.

US news website Axios, citing an unnamed senior US official, said Israel and Lebanon had agreed to the terms of a deal, and that Israel's security cabinet was expected to approve the deal tomorrow.

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said talks toward a ceasefire with Hezbollah were "moving forward" but he stressed that Israel would maintain an ability to strike southern Lebanon under any agreement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office declined to comment on the Axios report.

In Beirut, Lebanese Deputy Parliament Speaker Elias Bou Saab told Reuters there were "no serious obstacles" left to beginning implementation of a US-proposed ceasefire with Israel.

Mr Bou Saab said the proposal would entail an Israeli military withdrawal from south Lebanon and regular Lebanese army troops deploying in the border region within 60 days.

Over the weekend, Israel carried out powerful airstrikes, one of which killed at least 29 people in central Beirut - while the Iran-backed Hezbollah unleashed one of its biggest rocket salvoes yet, firing 250 missiles yesterday.

A senior UN official called on all parties involved in the conflict to "accept a ceasefire".

"I welcome the ongoing diplomatic efforts to reach a cessation of hostilities and urge the parties to accept a ceasefire anchored in the full implementation of UNSCR 1701," Muhannad Hadi told the Security Council on behalf of UN Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland, referring to a resolution adopted in 2006 to end regional violence.

In Beirut, Israeli airstrikes levelled more southern suburbs, sending clouds of debris billowing over the Lebanese capital.

Efforts to clinch a truce appeared to advance last week when US mediator Amos Hochstein declared significant progress after talks in Beirut before holding meetings in Israel and then returning to Washington.

Read more:
Latest Middle East stories

"We are moving in the direction towards a deal, but there are still some issues to address," Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said, without elaborating.

Michael Herzog, the Israeli ambassador in Washington, told Israel's GLZ radio an agreement was close and "it could happen within day ...We just need to close the last corners", according to a post on X by GLZ senior anchorman Efi Triger.

Lebanese deputy speaker Bou Saab said earlier that a decisive moment was approaching and expressed cautious optimism.

"The balance is slightly tilted towards there being (an agreement), but by a very small degree, because a person like Netanyahu cannot be trusted," he told a news conference.

A second senior Lebanese official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Lebanon had not received any new Israeli demands from US mediators, who were describing the atmosphere as positive and saying "things are in progress".

The official told Reuters a ceasefire could be clinched this week.

The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah spiralled into full-scale war in September when Israel went on the offensive, pounding wide areas of Lebanon with airstrikes and sending troops into the south.

Israel has dealt major blows to Hezbollah, killing its leader Hassan Nasrallah and other top commanders and inflicting massive destruction in areas of Lebanon where the group holds sway.

Diplomacy has focused on restoring a ceasefire based on UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended a 2006 Hezbollah-Israel war.

It requires Hezbollah to pull its fighters back around 30km from the Israeli border.

Lebanon condemns attacks on UN peacekeeping mission

Meanwhile, Lebanon has condemned attacks on the United Nations peacekeeping mission (UNIFIL) stationed in its south, including last week's rocket strike in which four Italian soldiers were injured.

The 10,000-strong multi-national UNIFIL mission is monitoring hostilities along the demarcation line with Israel, an area hit by fierce clashes between the Hezbollah movement and Israeli forces.

Since Israel launched a ground campaign across the border against Hezbollah at the end of September, UNIFIL soldiers have suffered several attacks coming from both sides.

"Lebanon strongly condemns any attack on UNIFIL and calls on all sides to respect the safety, security of the troops and their premises," Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said during a conference in Rome.

Mr Bou Habib spoke before attending a G7 foreign ministers' meeting in Anagni, southeast of Rome, along with other colleagues from the Middle East, which was set to discuss conflicts in the region.

Mr Bou Habib added: "Lebanon condemns recent attacks on the Italian contingent and deplores such unjustified hostilities".

Italy said Hezbollah was likely responsible for the attack carried out on Friday against its troops in UNIFIL.

Lebanon's foreign minister called for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

"Lebanon is ready to fulfil its obligations stipulated in the above-mentioned resolution," Mr Bou Habib said.

"This literally means and I quote: 'There will be no weapons without the consent of the government of Lebanon and no authority other than that of the government of Lebanon'".

Hezbollah, militarily more powerful than Lebanon's regular army, has said it is defending the country from Israeli aggression.

It vows to keep fighting and said it will not lay down arms or allow Israel to achieve political gains on the back of the war.