Ceasefire in Lebanon could come ‘within days’: Israeli envoy

ISTANBUL

The Israeli ambassador to Washington on Monday said that a ceasefire deal to end fighting between Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah could be reached “within days.”

Ambassador Mike Herzog told Israeli Army Radio that there remained “points to finalize” and that any deal required agreement from the government. But he said, “We are close to a deal” and that “it can happen within days.”

Among the issues that remain is an Israeli demand to reserve the right to act should Hezbollah violate its obligations under the emerging deal. The deal seeks to push Hezbollah and Israeli troops out of southern Lebanon.

Similarly, multiple reports said that Israel has agreed in principle to the U.S.-backed ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is now working on how to present it to the public.

Citing several Israeli, American and Lebanese sources, the outlets reported that the proposal will include three stages: A truce followed by Hezbollah removing its forces north of the Litani River, an Israeli pullout from southern Lebanon and, finally, the Israeli-Lebanese negotiations on demarcation of contested border areas.

The reports said an international body led by the U.S. will be tasked with monitoring the ceasefire.

Israel names Netanyahu ally as US ambassador

Amid the U.S. efforts for a ceasefire in Lebanon, the Israeli government approved the nomination of Yechiel Leiter, an ally of Netanyahu, as the country's ambassador to Washington.

The announcement comes after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump named hard-liner conservative Mike Huckabee as his choice for U.S. ambassador to Israel under his incoming administration.

A former adviser to Netanyahu, Leiter, 65, is originally from the United States and currently lives in a settlement in the occupied West Bank.

Close to the U.S. Republican Party, Leiter used to be one of the leaders of the Yesha Council, an umbrella group representing Israeli settlers in the West Bank in the 1990s.

Israeli analysts interpreted the appointment of the settler activist as the new ambassador as another step towards the recent indication by Israeli ministers that the annexation of the West Bank under the Trump administration is set for 2025.

Israeli gov’t cuts ties with Haaretz

Meanwhile, the Israeli government approved a proposal directing all government-funded organizations to cease communications with the Haaretz newspaper, which is known for its critical coverage of Israel’s actions in the Palestinian territories and withdraw advertisements from the newspaper.

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi said that the government had approved his proposal after Haaretz’ publisher called for sanctions against Israel and referred to Palestinian militants as “freedom fighters.”

“We advocate for a free press and freedom of expression, but also the freedom of the government to decide not to fund incitement against the State of Israel,” Karhi wrote on the social platform X.

Noa Landau, the deputy editor of Haaretz, accused Netanyahu of “working to silence independent and critical media.”

Haaretz regularly publishes investigative journalism and opinion columns. It has also been critical of Israel’s war conduct in Gaza at a time when most local media support the war and largely ignore the suffering of Palestinian civilians.