Dermer – previously Israel’s ambassador to Washington – discussed the wars in Gaza and Lebanon, as well as Iran [Getty/file photo]
An Israeli minister met with US President-elect Donald Trump over the weekend to discuss the possibility of reaching a ceasefire in Lebanon, Axios reported on Tuesday.
Israel’s Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer met Trump on Sunday at the Republican’s golf resort in Florida, two Israeli and two US officials told the US-based news site.
Dermer previously served as Israel’s ambassador to Washington.
The meeting reportedly conveyed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans for the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, and Iran until Trump takes office on 20 January, according to the report.
Gaza and Lebanon continue to reel under an Israeli offensive amid tensions from tit-for-tat strikes between Tel Aviv and Tehran. In Gaza, Israeli forces have battled with Hamas, and in southern Lebanon, battles rage with Hezbollah.
Conflicting media reports have surfaced in recent days about a potential ceasefire deal for Lebanon, but Israel’s defence minister on Tuesday said there would be no ceasefire, vowing to continue hitting Hezbollah “with full force”.
A US official told Axios that the Israeli delegation wanted to clear with Trump which issues he had preferred to see resolved before he takes office and which issues he preferred Israel put on hold until he’s in the White House.
Some in Lebanon were hopeful that Trump could end the war, living up to a promise he had made during his presidential campaign.
After Florida, Dermer flew to the US capital and met Secretary of State Antony Blinken. He is also scheduled to meet with White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and outgoing President Joe Biden’s advisers Brett McGurk and Amos Hochstein.
There were reports in Lebanese media about Hochstein planning to visit Beirut this week to continue discussing a ceasefire plan with Israel, but that was yet to be confirmed. Hochstein has been the key negotiator between Israel and Lebanon.
His last visit to Beirut conveyed tough Israeli demands which the Lebanese government and Hezbollah rejected. According to leaked reports, some of these demands include Israel’s insistence on having the freedom to carry out attacks in Lebanon in the event Hezbollah re-arms following a ceasefire.
This would happen if UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL) and the Lebanese military do not prevent Hezbollah from re-arming. Lebanon’s caretaker cabinet last week approved the necessary funds to recruit 1,500 Lebanese soldiers which would be deployed in southern Lebanon to maintain stability in the area post-war, supposedly replacing Hezbollah fighters. It was the first stage in a plan to deploy thousands of more recruits.
The Biden administration and the Israeli government are yet to agree on the wording of a deal that would guarantee Washington’s commitment to Israel allowing the latter to take military action in Lebanon whenever it deems necessary, US officials told Axios.
This specific item remains a sticking point between Israel and Lebanon.
Hochstein and the Israelis have exchanged several drafts in recent days, but have still not reached an agreement, a US official told Axios. But work on a final draft was “almost done” and there were “a couple more things to work through with the Israeli side,” the site quoted the official as saying.
Widening offensive
Katz’s comments on Tuesday were paired with a series of violent air strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs.
At least 13 strikes were reported on the region, with entire buildings being levelled. Other attacks continued in the eastern Baalbek-Hermel governorate which saw scores killed in recent weeks.
The Israeli military also ordered the evacuation of more than a dozen villages in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, some of which have already been flattened by detonations.
Israeli military chief Herzi Halevi threatened to expand the ground offensive in south Lebanon which began at the start of last month.
Israeli media has in past weeks put out contradictory reports about a possible truce in Lebanon, later cancelled out by threats of more attacks.
Some observers believe that the escalating war rhetoric and reports of a possible ceasefire are intended to pressure Hezbollah into accepting a deal on Israel’s terms sooner rather than later, something the Lebanese group has so far resisted.
Hezbollah says it is ready to continue fighting a long war, denying Israeli reports that its arsenal has shrunk, and it is incapable of continuing the war. The group says only a full cessation of attacks on Lebanon can bring it to agree to a deal.
