Today, the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon reportedly presented a draft truce proposal to Lebanon’s speaker of the parliament — who Reutersdescribes as a Hezbollah ally and the conduit for diplomacy with the terror group.
A response is expected within the next 24 hours, according to Israeli press.
This progress comes the same week Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer was in D.C. meeting with Biden administration officials to finalize a proposal to end the war in Lebanon, including written guarantees that Israel retains freedom of action to respond to any violations of a future agreement.
Earlier today, Israeli security cabinet member Eli Cohen said, “We are closer to an arrangement [for a ceasefire in Lebanon] than we have been since the start of the war.”
As talks continue, the IDF is ramping up its military operations against the Iranian-backed terror group.
The expanded operations include increased targeting of Hezbollah assets in Beirut, incrementally expanding its ground operations in southern Lebanon, and targeting weapons smuggling routes from Syria into Lebanon.
Today, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Israel has struck over 300 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon in the past week, including 40 in Beirut. “We are striking across Lebanon, from Dahiyeh to Damascus,” he said in a press conference.
“We have identified that there are rockets and other weapons, that Hezbollah is launching at Israel, that were manufactured in Syria, and were transferred to Hezbollah from Syria,” Hagari added, vowing that the IDF will strike “all attempts to transfer weapons from Syria to Hezbollah and strike any infrastructure we identify in Syria that is being used to manufacture weapons for Hezbollah.”
In southern Lebanon, the IDF has essentially completed operations in the “first row” of Hezbollah-controlled villages — those within the first three kilometers of the Israeli border that topographically look down into Israeli communities. All that remains left to do there is to destroy the last remaining tunnels and underground facilities.
Israel is now moving into the “second row” of villages, around 3-6 kilometers from the border. The IDF released a picture today of a Hezbollah rocket launcher with 32 barrels pointed at Israel that soldiers found amid these “new targets.”
As Iranian proxies continue their attacks on American troops and our ally Israel, Senator Bernie Sanders announced yesterday that he would be forcing votes in the Senate next week to block critical arms sales to Israel.
Weakening Israel’s security as it’s engaged in a seven-front war against common enemies is dangerous for America and the Jewish state.
Click below to email your senators to reject this latest anti-Israel effort being spearheaded by Bernie Sanders. After you take action, ask your friends and family to visit www.aipac.org/act to contact their senators as well.
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“In recent weeks, with the IDF focusing most of its attention on the Northern front, the media has been paying less attention to what’s actually happening in Gaza. What would constitute the Gaza War being over? Is there any progress on a Day After Plan for Gaza? What is the status of hostage negotiations and other efforts to free the hostages? What would the future (medium-term/long-term) Israeli presence in Gaza look like?”
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