Ceasefire deal needs getting over the line

With the United States vetoing a Gaza ceasefire resolution at the UN Security Council for the fourth time last week, the prospect of making a breakthrough to bring an end to the crisis appeared as remote as ever.

But an apparent ray of hope has emerged. While it would certainly be a lot more conducive to peace in the region if a ceasefire was reached in Gaza first, given the stalemate at the UNSC and considering the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in a large part derives from what Israel is doing in Gaza, the latest talk of a ceasefire being on the cards in Lebanon is certainly a positive development. The Israeli ambassador to the United States claimed on Monday that a cease-fire deal could be reached "within days". And a US special envoy said in Lebanon last week a truce agreement was "within our grasp".

The ceasefire agreement being negotiated calls for a two-month ceasefire during which Israeli forces would withdraw from Lebanon and Hezbollah would end its armed presence along the southern border south of the Litani River. While substantial headway seems to have been made on a deal, the exchange of fire between the two sides over the weekend shows how precarious the possibility of a ceasefire is. Even after Israel eliminated almost all the senior Hezbollah commanders, the latter was still able to launch what was one of its heaviest barrages in months.