Lebanese official says ceasefire deal with Israel imminent

BEIRUT, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) — Lebanon’s Deputy Parliament Speaker Elias Bou Saab said on Monday that a ceasefire deal with Israel has become close after a meeting of the Parliament Bureau.
“We are approaching the ceasefire moment. This week or in the next ten days, there will be a decisive position,” Bou Saab said, according to the Lebanese official National News Agency (NNA).
“We are optimistic, there is hope, but we cannot be certain with someone like (Benjamin) Netanyahu,” he added, noting that the final decision for a ceasefire in Lebanon will be taken according to developments in the war field.
The meeting of the Parliament Bureau was chaired by Lebanese House Speaker Nabih Berri and was also attended by Bou Saab, parliamentary secretaries Hadi Abou Al-Hosn and Alain Aoun, commissioners Michel Moussa, Karim Kabbara, and Hagop Pakradounian, as well as Secretary-General of Parliament Adnan Daher, the NNA reported.
Earlier in the day, Israel’s state-owned Kan TV News reported that a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon is expected to be announced this week.
Meanwhile, Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon said that Israel is moving towards a ceasefire with Lebanon.
“We haven’t finalized it yet, but we are moving forward,” he said.
Since Sept. 23, the Israeli army has intensified its air attack on Lebanon in an escalation of conflict with Hezbollah. Israel further initiated a ground operation across its northern border into Lebanon in early October. ■