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Live blog: Lebanon lawmaker says ceasefire deal with Israel close

Israel's genocide in Gaza — now in its 417th day — has killed at least 44,235 Palestinians and wounded over 104,638, with 10,000+ feared buried under debris of bombed homes. In Lebanon, Israel has killed more than 3,768 people since October 2023.

AP

"Minor details" are still under discussion but are not expected to affect the agreement's core terms, Al Jadeed channel reports. / Photo: AP

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

2330 GMT — A ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel is nearing completion and could be declared within the next 36 hours if negotiations proceed smoothly, a Lebanese parliamentarian has said.

"The atmosphere is positive, and ceasefire discussions have reached an advanced stage. It’s only a matter of hours before an agreement is finalised and announced if progress continues as expected," Qassem Hashem told Anadolu Agency.

The development coincides with reports that Israel's security cabinet will convene on Tuesday to approve a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah.

Lebanon's private Al Jadeed channel reported early on Tuesday that Lebanon had been officially informed of the ceasefire agreement but is remaining silent to ensure its success.

The channel noted, however, that "minor details" are still under discussion but are not expected to affect the agreement's core terms.

Hashem, a member of the Development and Liberation parliamentary bloc led by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, emphasised that Lebanon would announce the ceasefire only after the US does.

"If sincere intentions prevail, the process will follow its natural course. Within the next 36 hours, we expect a finalised agreement," he added.

2056 GMT — US rejects parity between ICC warrants for Russian, Israeli officials

The US has defended its differing stances on the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Russian and Israeli officials, asserting that the two cases are fundamentally distinct.

"I don't think there is any equivalence between the case that the ICC has brought against Russia and the case that it has brought against Israel," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters when asked about the difference in the US approach to the ICC's arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and its arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

He highlighted significant differences between the two countries, saying that "Russia is not a democracy, does not have a functioning, independent legal system, and is not investigating violations of international humanitarian law by its soldiers."

"Israel, on the other hand, is a democracy with an independent court system that has hundreds of open cases into allegations against its soldiers. It is important that these processes be allowed to proceed," he claimed.