A cease-fire deal to end the conflict between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia was close but not complete Monday, three senior Biden administration officials told NBC News.
One official said “there are still a few issues left to be resolved,” with another cautioning a deal “could still take a couple of days.”
White House national security adviser John Kirby called the discussions “productive.”
“But nothing is done until it’s all done, and it’s not done right now,” he said at a briefing Monday.
The potential development comes amid a continuation of heavy strikes from both sides. Over the weekend, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 20 people in the Lebanese capital of Beirut while Hezbollah fired more than 200 rockets at Israel, leaving neighborhoods in flames, according to the Israeli military. More Israeli airstrikes followed on the suburbs of Beirut.
The latest clashes follow months of intensifying fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, with Hezbollah firing rockets and other projectiles into Israel after the surprise Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that ignited the war in Gaza. Hezbollah and the Palestinian militant group Hamas are both allied with Iran.
Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, said Monday that cease-fire talks were advancing.
“We haven’t finalized it, but we are moving forward,” he said.
The cease-fire would be limited to Lebanon, meaning it would not bring relief to Palestinians in Gaza or the dozens of hostages taken by Hamas.
In a statement, the families of the hostages said they “strongly urge” any agreement to include a demand for the release of those who are being held.
“The October 7 attack, orchestrated by Hamas and supported by Iran, saw Hezbollah join the conflict, linking its fate to the war in Gaza and the atrocities of the October 7 massacre,” the statement read in part.
“The current efforts to secure an agreement ending the war on the northern front present a vital opportunity to bring all hostages home. The northern front and the hostages’ release are inseparably linked — we cannot and must not treat them as separate issues.”
Israel’s ground and air assault has killed well over 3,000 people in Lebanon and has displaced more than 1 million others, according to local officials. The attacks have spanned as far as parts of Syria, where a recent Israeli airstrike killed a senior Hezbollah commander.
Talks of a possible cease-fire come about a month after Israel attacked Iran on its soil, stoking fears that Iran would retaliate and dramatically escalate tensions in the region. However, the Iranian army downplayed the attack after, saying “damage was limited.”
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