2024-11-27 04:18:00
WASHINGTON (AP) —
President Joe Biden’s administration has kept incoming President Donald Trump’s team fully briefed on efforts to negotiate a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah that took effect early Wednesday, according to the outgoing administration.
However, Trump’s team was quick to celebrate the achievement and take credit for the good news, highly unusual for a Democratic administration deeply affected by protracted conflicts in the Middle East.
“Thanks to President Trump, everyone came to the table,” Rep. Mike Waltz of Florida, whom Trump appointed as national security adviser, said on the social media site X shortly before Israel’s cabinet approved the deal. Said in the post. “His landslide victory sends a clear message to the rest of the world: chaos will not be tolerated. “I am pleased to see concrete steps being taken to de-escalate the situation in the Middle East. “
The coordination between the Biden administration and the Trump team in efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Lebanon is perhaps the clearest example of cooperation during the sometimes tumultuous transition.
Just on Tuesday, Trump’s transition team reached the necessary agreement with the White House that will facilitate coordination between the transition team and existing federal staff before Trump takes office on January 20. There has been some high-level coordination between the two teams, including some conversations between Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Walz.
Speaking on the White House lawn on Tuesday, Biden hailed the ceasefire as a critical step that he hopes will serve as a catalyst for broader peace in the Middle East, which has been gripped by nearly 14 months of conflict since armed attacks in Syria. shaken.
“This move is intended to permanently cease hostilities,” Biden said. “I want to emphasize that the remnants of Hezbollah will not be allowed to threaten Israel’s security again.”
Now, White House officials hope that calm in Lebanon will reinvigorate multinational efforts to end the devastating conflict in Gaza, where Hamas still holds dozens of hostages and has become another intractable conflict.
Biden said the United States, along with Israel, would participate in talks with Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish officials in the coming days to try to restart negotiations on the Gaza conflict.
But at a time when Biden is succeeding in a conflict that has damaged his reputation at home and abroad, the shadow of the incoming Trump administration looms over his mind.
A senior federal official said the Biden administration briefed Trump’s top national security team during the negotiations. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to brief reporters on a conference call hosted by the White House, added that the incoming presidential officials were not directly involved in the negotiations but that it was important for them to understand “what we are negotiating and what “Very important. “They are promises.
Meanwhile, Trump’s team and allies said there was no doubt that the prospect of a Republican return to power prompted the deal.
In addition to praising Trump for brokering the ceasefire agreement, Walz also issued a warning to Iran, Hezbollah’s main financial backer.
“But let us be clear: The Iranian regime is a source of chaos and terror in the region. We will not tolerate your support for terrorism.
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This story was translated from English by AP editors with the help of generated artificial intelligence tools.
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