US draws up draft Israel-Lebanon ceasefire plan

The US has drawn up a draft plan to end the war between Israel and Hizbollah, calling for an initial 60-day ceasefire and the withdrawal of the Lebanese militant group and Israeli troops from southern Lebanon, Report informs referring to Financial Times.

But the proposal would also give Israeli forces the right to target Hizbollah “in self-defense against imminent threats to Israel,” and allow its warplanes to continue flying over Lebanon for “intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance,” according to a draft leaked to Kann, Israel’s state broadcaster on Wednesday evening.

The leak came hours before US envoys Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk were due to arrive in Israel to discuss Washington’s efforts to end the more than year-long conflict. They were expected to present an updated version of the document to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to people familiar with the matter. US officials confirmed that the document was authentic, but also cautioned that edits had been made to the leaked draft since last week, when the paper was dated.

“There are many reports and drafts circulating. They do not reflect the current state of negotiations,” National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said. People familiar with Lebanese government thinking said the draft was “still unacceptable,” since annexes would give Israel the ability to fire in “self-defense” at Lebanon and to ensure that Hizbollah “cannot reconstitute” in the south.

A US “side letter” to Israel in the draft agreement reaffirms these principles. “Israel can’t claim control over the south and air space,” said one of the people.

A second person said that while the draft, as written, was “not workable” it could provide a basis for further negotiations.