The US is working for a ceasefire in Lebanon, sources say, while Israel is bombing Baalbek

BEIRUT/JERUSALEM: US mediators are working on a proposal to end hostilities between Israel and Lebanon HezbollahThat began with a 60-day ceasefire, two sources said on Wednesday, as Israel continued its offensive by bombing the historic city of Baalbek in Lebanon.

The sources, a person briefed on the talks and a senior diplomat working in Lebanon, told Reuters that the two-month period would be used to complete the full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, adopted in 2006 to keep southern Lebanon free of weapons outside the country. state control.

The White House said officials Brett McGurk and Amos Hochstein would visit Israel on Thursday. A US official had said they would be there to discuss a range of issues “including Gaza, Lebanon, hostages, Iran and broader regional matters”.

Hezbollah’s new leader Naim Qassem said the Iran-backed armed group would agree to a ceasefire within certain parameters if Israel wanted to stop the war, but that Israel had so far not agreed to any proposal that could be discussed.

It was Qassem’s first speech as secretary general, a day after Hezbollah announced his election to the post following Israel’s assassination of the group’s longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

The latest attempts at a ceasefire come as Israel’s operation against the heavily armed Shiite Muslim militia Hezbollah in Lebanon continues to expand.

The army launched heavy airstrikes on Wednesday on the eastern city of Baalbek, famous for its Roman temples, and nearby villages, security sources told Reuters, following an Israeli evacuation order. Tens of thousands of mainly Shia Lebanese, including many who had sought shelter in Baalbek from other areas, fled after the warning was issued.

Bilal Raad, regional head of Lebanon’s Civil Defense, said the largely volunteer force had called on residents to leave through megaphones after receiving calls from someone identifying himself as a member of the Israeli army.