Israeli security cabinet to discuss possible Lebanon ceasefire: senior official

Israel’s security cabinet ⁠will convene on Wednesday to discuss a possible Lebanon ceasefire, a senior Israeli official has said, more than five weeks into a…

Israel’s security cabinet ⁠will convene on Wednesday to discuss a possible Lebanon ceasefire, a senior Israeli official has said, more than five weeks into a war with Hezbollah that spiralled out of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet would meet ‌at 8pm local time, the official said.

Senior Hezbollah official Ibrahim al-Moussawi told Reuters that diplomatic efforts by Iran and other regional states could produce a ceasefire soon, saying Tehran had used its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as leverage.

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Two other senior Lebanese officials said they had been briefed that efforts were under way for a ceasefire. One of them ⁠said the US had been pressuring Israel to work towards a ceasefire in Lebanon, including during rare talks ‌between Israeli and Lebanese government envoys in Washington on Tuesday.

Israel’s offensive in Lebanon began on March 2 after the Iran-backed Hezbollah opened fire at Israel in ‌support of Tehran. It has killed more than 2,000 people and forced 1.2 million ⁠from their homes, according ⁠to Lebanese authorities.

Israeli armoured personnel carriers guard excavators demolishing buildings in the southern Lebanese village of Mais al-Jabal, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, on Wednesday. Photo: EPA
Israeli armoured personnel carriers guard excavators demolishing buildings in the southern Lebanese village of Mais al-Jabal, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, on Wednesday. Photo: EPA

Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli strikes targeted paramedic teams in south Lebanon on Wednesday, killing at least three of them.

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