A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon could become a reality within days, with reports suggesting a deal is all but done and is awaiting sign-off by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet.
Amid the fervent speculation of a looming truce, residents in the Lebanese capital Beirut heard large explosions as the Israeli military continued air strikes in the city.
An agreement would end more than a year of conflict between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Lebanese militant group, with the intensity of fighting increasing in recent weeks.
Lebanon's health ministry said more than 3,700 people had been killed since October 7 last year, and more than 1 million had been displaced.
In Israel, 45 civilians and at least 73 Israeli soldiers have been killed, according to the country's authorities.
Lebanese sources have said details of the truce will be announced by United States President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron, with their two nations taking a leading role in enforcing the deal.
"We are continuing to work with […] our American partners toward this direction […] we hope all involved will seize this opportunity as soon as possible," a statement from the French presidency said.
In Washington, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said, "We're close" but "nothing is done until everything is done".
Israel's cabinet is expected to meet on Tuesday, local time, to agree to the terms.
Israeli media is reporting the agreement would hinge on a 60-day ceasefire, during which time the IDF would gradually withdraw from southern Lebanon.
The Lebanese military and United Nations peacekeepers would then take control of the area, with Hezbollah forces pushed north of the Litani River and away from Israel's northern reaches.
This reflects a previous UN resolution, implemented at the end of 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.
[Map]Under the current proposal, Israel had demanded and would retain the right to fire upon Lebanese targets if it perceives an immediate threat.
But intelligence pointing to activity such as Hezbollah's use of underground tunnels — which the IDF has regularly said it is targeting in strikes on southern Lebanon — would not be deemed immediate threats to Israel.
Ceasefire monitors, including the United States and France, would be alerted to such information instead.
Attacks intensify ahead of possible deal
Israel and Hezbollah have ratcheted up attacks against each other, as talks of a ceasefire intensified.
Lebanon's deputy parliamentary speaker said the IDF's relentless strikes on claimed Hezbollah targets in places like Beirut were indicative of a pattern of behaviour.
"It has become known that the Israeli enemy always begins to escalate when it gets closer to a serious negotiation with serious files in its hands," Elias Bousaab said.
"It escalates to put pressure on the other side to make concessions in front of it."
Israel's ambassador to the United Nations said any ceasefire would not "happen overnight".
"I think for us it's important what will happen after … that Hezbollah will not be allowed to come back to the fence, and we will do whatever is necessary to guarantee it," he told reporters in New York.
"We learned the lessons from 2006."
Israel fearful Biden would turn on it
The US-brokered deal would be a political win for the Biden administration, which had dispatched special envoy Amos Hochstein to the region to lead negotiations.
"We believe we're close to an agreement," US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.
"We believe that we have narrowed the gaps significantly but there are still steps that we need to see taken, but we hope that we can get there," he said.
"Oftentimes the very last stages of an agreement are the most difficult because the hardest issues are left to the end.
"We are pushing as hard as we can."
The outgoing president had insisted there needed to be a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, attempting to decouple the fighting to Israel's north from its southern front against Hamas in Gaza.
Israeli media has cited sources from within the Netanyahu government fearful Joe Biden would turn on Israel during his remaining time in office, and it was better to make a deal now.
An agreement could reveal rifts in Netanyahu's right-leaning government.
The far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, said Israel must press on with the war until "absolute victory".
Addressing Mr Netanyahu on X, he said, "It is not too late to stop this agreement!"
In northern Israel, several mayors from towns near the border said they were unhappy with the ceasefire prospects, worrying that its monitoring provisions would not stop Hezbollah from rebuilding its positions in the border region.
