"No excuses" remain for Israel to refuse a ceasefire with the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, set to be voted on in Israel's cabinet Tuesday, the European Union's foreign policy chief said. Josep Borrell said that all of Israel's security concerns had been addressed in the deal, which was brokered by the US and France. "There is not an excuse for not implementing a ceasefire. Otherwise, Lebanon will fall apart," Borrell told reporters on Tuesday morning at the G7 foreign ministers' summit in Italy. Under the proposed deal reported by local media, Israeli troops would withdraw from Lebanon and stop fighting for an initial period of 60 days. Israel's Channel 12 reported that other criteria for the deal include the setup of a multi-national committee — headed by the US — to monitor its implementation. In return, Hezbollah would replace its forces south of the Litani River with Lebanese Army troops. Israel's ambassador to Washington, Mike Herzog, told Israeli Army Radio that a deal between his country and militant group Hezbollah could be reached "within days". Herzog said that although there were "points to finalise", the parties are close to clinching a deal that would see hostilities cease for the first time since Israel launched a ground operation in Lebanon in early October. Although members of Hezbollah have yet to comment on the potential ceasefire, a top Hamas official in Lebanon said that the Palestinian militant group would support a ceasefire agreement between Israel and its Lebanese ally. "Any announcement of a ceasefire is welcome. Hezbollah has stood by our people and made significant sacrifices," Osama Hamdan told the Lebanese broadcaster Al-Mayadeen. Despite the ongoing talks, airstrikes killed at least 31 people in Lebanon on Monday, with Lebanon's Health Ministry reporting that 26 were killed in southern Lebanon, four in the eastern Baalbek-Hermel province and one in Choueifat, a neighbourhood in Beirut's southern suburbs. One of Israel's key demands is that it be allowed to reserve the right to act should Hezbollah violate the emerging deal. Hezbollah began attacking Israel after its armed forces launched a ground and air operation in the Gaza Strip in retaliation to Hamas' attack on southern Israel on 7 October. The war between the two sides escalated in September, with Israel launching massive airstrikes in Lebanon and sending troops into the country's south. On Monday, the Lebanese Ministry of Health said that Israeli strikes had killed 3,768 people since the bombing began. In Israel, more than 70 have been killed, 40 of them civilians. — Euronews
