Israeli Ministers Plan to Vote on Truce With Hezbollah

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel was expected to meet on Tuesday afternoon with senior cabinet ministers to decide whether to approve a cease-fire with Hezbollah, potentially setting the stage for an end to Israel’s 13-month war with the Lebanese militia.

The meeting was scheduled for 4 p.m. local time at the Israeli military headquarters in Tel Aviv and was expected to be an hourslong discussion of a proposed cease-fire agreement, according to two Israeli officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions.

The proposal, mediated by American and French diplomats, would start a 60-day process during which both sides would stop fighting and withdraw from southern Lebanon. Israeli forces would return south of the Israel-Lebanon border, while Hezbollah would retreat north of the Litani River, allowing the Lebanese Army — which is not a party to the Israel-Hezbollah conflict — to fill the vacuum.

But many questions about the proposal remain unanswered, including how the Lebanese Army would exert authority over the powerful militia. Israel has sought guarantees from the United States that it would have U.S. support to send troops back into southern Lebanon if Hezbollah violated the arrangement.

Mr. Netanyahu is said to favor a deal, but some of his ministers, including far-right leaders who hold the balance of power in his coalition, have expressed strong reservations.

Hezbollah’s leader, Naim Qassem, suggested last week that the group would accept a truce if Israel stopped striking Lebanon and Lebanon retained its sovereignty.

The conflict began in October 2023 after Hezbollah, which dominates large parts of southern Lebanon, began firing at Israeli military positions in solidarity with its ally Hamas, which had just raided southern Israel.

Israel returned fire and the conflict gradually escalated into a low-level war that displaced tens of thousands on both sides of the border.

Fighting intensified over the summer as Israel scaled up its strikes, attacking neighborhoods south of Beirut that are dominated by Hezbollah and killing thousands — among them scores of Hezbollah commanders, including the group’s longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah. On Sept. 30, Israeli troops crossed the border in a full-scale ground invasion, later capturing and decimating several villages.

The cease-fire would officially be an agreement among Israel, Lebanon and the mediating countries, including the United States. A top Lebanese lawmaker has been acting as a liaison with Hezbollah, which the country’s government does not control, and Hezbollah would not technically be a party to the deal. The United States designates Hezbollah a terrorist organization.

Jack Nicas and Myra Noveck contributed reporting from Jerusalem.