The US envoy to Lebanon, Amos Hochstein, is expected to arrive in the capital Beirut in the coming days to try to drive through a ceasefire in the conflict between the Islamist Hezbollah and Israel.
The Lebanese government is said to have approved large parts of the proposal, but wants to finalize certain discussions with Hochstein before sending a response to Washington DC.
We are polishing the last answers to the US writings, says a government source with insight into the negotiations.
However, the counterpart Israel is hesitant. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that military operations will continue even after an agreement:
The most important thing is not what is written. We are forced to guarantee our security in the north (Israel) and systematically carry out operations against Hezbollah's attacks, he said in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, on Monday.
The stance of the Hezbollah leadership towards the agreement is unknown.
