Vehicles were stranded on a road as residents of Lebanon's eastern city of Baalbek evacuated from the Bekaa Valley city on October 30, 2024, following a warning from the Israeli army spokesperson about imminent strikes. — AFP

US mediators are crafting a proposal to halt hostilities between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, beginning with a 60-day ceasefire, according to two sources. However, Israel continued its offensive, ordering residents to evacuate Baalbek. The sources, a person briefed on the talks and a senior diplomat working on Lebanon, informed Reuters that the two-month period would be used to finalize the full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, adopted in 2006 to ensure southern Lebanon remains free of arms outside state control.

This latest effort coincides with Israel's ongoing operation against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has expanded. The Israeli army issued its first evacuation order for Baalbek, where tens of thousands of predominantly Shia Muslim Lebanese, including many who had fled other areas, were residing. Such notices typically precede bombardment, prompting Governor Bachir Khodr to urge residents to evacuate to the north.

Bilal Raad, regional head of the Lebanese civil defence, stated that the largely volunteer force had been using megaphones to call on residents to leave after receiving phone calls from someone claiming to be from the Israeli military. 'People are packed together, the entire city is in panic, trying to figure out where to go; there's a massive traffic jam,' he said. Some of the areas they are fleeing to are already filled with displaced people.

Antoine Habchi, a lawmaker representing the Christian-majority Deir Al Ahmar to the northwest of Baalbek, reported that over 10,000 people were already sheltering in homes, schools, and churches before Wednesday's evacuation order. 'We welcome everyone, of course, but we need immediate government assistance so these people don't remain out in the cold,' he told Reuters.

For the third consecutive day, Hezbollah reported intense clashes with Israeli forces near the southern town of Khiyam, marking the deepest Israeli penetration into Lebanon since the fighting began. Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon's Sarafand killed at least 10 people on Tuesday, mostly women and children, while a separate strike in the port city of Sidon killed at least five and injured 37, according to Lebanese authorities.

Resolution 1701 has been the cornerstone of efforts to end the recent year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, which escalated dramatically over the past five weeks. 'We reiterate our desire for a diplomatic resolution that fully implements 1701 and returns both Israeli and Lebanese citizens to their homes on both sides of the border,' said Sama Habib, spokesperson at the US embassy in Beirut, regarding the reported proposal.

US presidential envoy Amos Hochstein, working on the new ceasefire proposal, earlier this month stated that better enforcement mechanisms were needed as neither Israel nor Lebanon had fully implemented the resolution. The two sources told Reuters that the 60-day truce has replaced a previous proposal by the United States and other countries, which envisioned a 21-day ceasefire as a prelude to 1701 coming into full force. Both cautioned that the deal could still fall through. 'There is a genuine effort to achieve a ceasefire, but it remains challenging to make it a reality,' the diplomat said.

The person briefed on the talks revealed that Israel was still pushing for the ability to 'directly enforce' the truce via air strikes or other military operations against Hezbollah if it violated the deal. Israeli Channel 12 television reported that Israel sought a reinforced version of UN Resolution 1701, allowing intervention if its security was threatened. Lebanese officials stated that Lebanon had not yet been formally briefed on the proposal and could not comment on its details.

The push for a ceasefire in Lebanon comes days before the US presidential election and in parallel with a similar diplomatic effort in Gaza. Axios reported that Hochstein and US presidential adviser Brett McGurk will arrive in Israel on Thursday to finalize the deal on Lebanon, according to three unnamed sources. The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israeli and US officials believe that Hezbollah is finally willing to distance itself from Hamas in Gaza after sustaining significant blows, including the killing of its leader Hassan Nasrallah, according to the Axios report.

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