The Lebanese Al-Jadeed channel said in the introduction to its evening news bulletin yesterday, Saturday, that “the United States of America officially informed Mikati that the war on Gaza will stop, and the message that it officially informed Lebanon with was conveyed to the Lebanese factions to postpone its response until after August 15, but the party remained silent and did not give any response.”
In response, Mikati’s office announced in a statement that “what Al-Jadeed TV reported in its evening broadcast this evening, that the United States of America officially informed the Prime Minister that the war on Gaza would stop, is absolutely incorrect.”
In a new diplomatic effort to contain the escalating regional tensions, attention is turning to a new round of negotiations on a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, after Israel announced last Thursday its approval to resume talks, in response to an invitation from the mediators, the United States, Qatar and Egypt.
This development comes after tensions between Iran and Israel rose to unprecedented levels, amid Tehran’s threats to avenge the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, which it blamed on Israel, and the threats of Lebanese factions to respond to the assassination of Commander Fouad Shukr.
In a joint statement, the mediators urged the two parties to the conflict to resume talks on August 15 “to close all remaining gaps and start implementing the agreement without any delay.”
The text, signed by the Emir of Qatar and the presidents of the United States and Egypt, stated that “the framework agreement is now on the table and all that is missing is the completion of the implementation details.”
US officials have stressed in recent days that a prisoner exchange deal and a ceasefire in Gaza remain the only way to calm regional tensions that have reached a new level.
According to the American website “Axios”, negotiations on a prisoner exchange deal and a ceasefire have faltered in recent weeks due to the conditions imposed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and differences between the parties have increased after the leaders of the Palestinian and Lebanese factions met late last month.
A source familiar with the negotiations told Axios that the meeting planned for Thursday remains a “miracle” on the part of the Biden administration to reach a deal and prevent a regional war.
Reuters quoted a senior US administration official as saying, “It is not expected that an agreement will be signed next week, as there are still serious issues, including the sequence of exchanges between Palestinian factions and Israel.” He added that there is a need for action from both sides of the table.
The official pointed out that gaps still exist between Israel and the Palestinian factions on many issues related to the implementation of the exchange agreement and the ceasefire, and that both sides adopt hardline positions on them.
Source: RT + Agencies
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2024-08-11 23:37:07
