An Israeli source tells Haaretz that the parties are "very close to signing".
The USA is not a party to the war, but still plays a key role. On the one hand, the country has been primarily responsible for drafting the proposal, and on the other hand, Israel demands that the USA guarantees Lebanon's commitments – otherwise, Israel reserves the right to attack anyway.
The negotiations on behalf of the extremist militia Hezbollah are being conducted by Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Speaker Nabih Berri. They have also received blessings from Iran, the great power that supplies Hezbollah with weapons and other resources.
Iran has now been informed that an agreement between Hezbollah and Israel could come at any time, according to high-ranking sources in Tehran, as reported by The New York Times.
Although Hamas in the Gaza Strip is also closely allied with Hezbollah and Iran, the war there is not covered by these talks. However, The Jerusalem Post writes that Israel believes that a settlement with Hezbollah would also increase pressure on Hamas, so that the prospects for a ceasefire are also growing there.
In the hope of strengthening the prospects for progress in Gaza, the USA's Middle East envoy Brett McGurk is in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to discuss work on "increased stability in the region", according to reports from Washington media.
The terms of a ceasefire in Lebanon are not yet fully nailed down, but the first phase is largely clear. It consists of a two-month transition period. During the 60 days, Israel's military will leave southern Lebanon. Hezbollah will move all its heavy weapons north of the Litani River.
A committee led by the USA will monitor that the parties do what they are supposed to do. If Lebanon and others do not remove acute threats to Israel, there are reservations about the Jewish state's right to take military action.
Gradually during the two-month period, hundreds of thousands of evacuated civilians will also be able to start returning to their homes in northern Israel and southern Lebanon.
