UN peacekeeping chief meets government, army leaders in Lebanon
We reported earlier that the UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix said that redeploying the Lebanese armed forces in southern Lebanon would constitute “an absolutely central element” of any ceasefire agreement.
He has since met with Lebanon’s parliament speaker and Amal Movement leader Nabih Berri, Defence Minister Maurice Sleem, Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, and Army Commander General Joseph Aoun.
Lacroix also sat down with representatives of countries that provide troops to UNIFIL, the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon.
Those forces have come under fire from the Israeli military dozens of times in the weeks since Israel significantly ramped up its attacks on Lebanon and launched a ground invasion of the southern parts of the country.
https://x.com/UNIFIL_/status/1857093582131171750
Israel’s maximalist demands unlikely to lead to ceasefire with Hezbollah
As Israel sends mixed messages about a ceasefire with Hezbollah, analysts say the war is likely to intensify in the coming months.
On November 6, Israel’s top general, Herzi Halevi, told reporters the army was drawing up plans to expand its campaign against Hezbollah. At the same time, he claimed Israel was amping up diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire.
US ambassador presents draft ceasefire proposal in Lebanon
US Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa A Johnson has presented a draft proposal for a ceasefire in Lebanon to to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, officials sources told Al Jazeera.
The sources said the paper presented to the Lebanese official contained ideas that required further discussion and noted that communication between Beirut and Washington had been activated following progress on negotiations.
