NEW YORK, September 26. /TASS/. The proposal of the US and its allies on a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon may be accepted "in the coming hours," The New York Times reported, citing officials.
According to the newspaper, there are indications that Israel and Lebanon support talks that could soon lead to a ceasefire. One official said that diplomats had held talks with both countries and expressed hope that representatives of their governments would accept the proposal "in the coming hours." Hezbollah would not be formally asked to accept it. But the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that if Lebanon agreed to a ceasefire, its government would have to guarantee that Hezbollah fighters would abide by it for 21 days.
Earlier, the White House issued a joint statement by the US, the EU and several other countries calling for an immediate 21-day ceasefire on the Lebanon-Israel border.
Tensions escalated between Israel and the Shia group Hezbollah after a series of explosions of communication devices in Lebanon on September 17 and 18. The Lebanese movement blamed the explosions on Israel, whose authorities did not comment directly on the incident, but announced the intensification of military operations in the northern direction. In response, the Israeli Air Force launched massive attacks on the border areas of southern Lebanon, and on September 20 attacked Beirut, eliminating 16 commanders of Hezbollah's military wing.