The United States is spearheading a new diplomatic effort to end hostilities in both Gaza and Lebanon, linking the two conflicts as part of a single initiative, six sources familiar with the initiative told newsmen.
Details are being hammered out at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, according to two Lebanese officials, two Western diplomats, a source familiar with the thinking of armed Lebanese group Hezbollah and a source briefed on the talks.
The White House National Security Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Three Israeli officials told Reuters that the United States and France were working on ceasefire proposals but that no significant process had been made so far.
It would be the first time the two fronts are linked as part of a U.S. diplomatic push, the sources said.
The deal may eventually lead to the release of hostages seized by Palestinian armed group Hamas in the attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year that sparked hostilities across the Middle East, according to a senior Lebanese official, the source familiar with Hezbollah’s thinking and the source briefed on the talks.
Editor Oloyede Oworu
