Israel and Lebanon have agreed to the terms of the ceasefire agreement to end the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, a senior US official told Axios on Monday.

The parties have yet to announce the agreement, but the security cabinet is expected to approve the deal on Tuesday, an Israeli source reported.

“We think we have a deal. We are at the goal line but haven’t crossed it yet. The Israeli cabinet needs to approve the deal on Tuesday, and something can always go wrong by then,” said the US official.

The report adds that the draft ceasefire agreement includes a 60-day transition period during which the Israeli military will withdraw from southern Lebanon, the Lebanese army will deploy in areas close to the border, and Hezbollah will move its weapons from north of the Litani River.

Lebanese sources told the Al-Hadath newspaper that a decision to end the war definitively has been made, awaiting an announcement to that effect. The Americans have informed Lebanese officials that the announcement on ending the war is expected within hours.

Channel 12 reported on Monday that IDF leaders told Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that the time is ripe for a ceasefire.

Channel 14 News reported earlier on Monday that Netanyahu has revealed his strategy regarding a ceasefire in recent closed discussions.

Netanyahu said: “There’s a risk that the Biden administration will carry out unilateral actions against Israel similar to the end of the Obama period. Therefore, the right thing to do now is to go for a deal with Lebanon subject to a US guarantee that we can respond to any violation.”

Netanyahu clarified: “The basic condition is that we will decide what constitutes a ‘violation.’ In the meantime, the reservists will rest, and we will replenish the missing arms.”

He also referred to another important aspect of a possible ceasefire: “In addition, there is a need to disconnect the arenas. The moment we sign a ‘ceasefire’ with Hezbollah, despite the fact that they constantly link it to a similar ‘ceasefire’ in Gaza – we defeated them and unraveled the ties between them. This way, Gaza will remain isolated and the pressure to reach a hostage deal will increase.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)