West Asia crisis | 'Rushing to advance ceasefire deal in Lebanon,' Israel tells Trump: Report

The Israeli government is rushing to advance a ceasefire deal in Lebanon, a close aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told United States (US) President-elect Donald Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner. 

This development was reported by The Washington Post on Wednesday (Nov 13).

The report said that Israel's Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer made Mar-a-Lago the first stop on his US tour Sunday before travelling to the White House to update Biden administration officials on the state of Lebanon talks.

'Israel would gift something to Trump...'

Speaking to The Washington Post, an Israeli official who chose to remain anonymous said, "There is an understanding that Israel would gift something to Trump … that in January there will be an understanding about Lebanon."

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Meanwhile, Dermer's spokesperson told the publication that he discussed a wide range of issues during his visit to the US. 

The aforementioned Israeli official also said that the conversations at Mar-a-Lago (Donald Trump's residence) focused on an Israeli cease-fire proposal for Lebanon involving Western and Russian cooperation.

Separately, an Israeli military official told The Washington Post that plans were also being created to ramp up ground operations in Lebanon if talks were to ultimately fall apart. 

Israel's wars in West Asia

Israel and Iran-aligned Lebanese militant group Hezbollah have exchanged fire for over a year in parallel with the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. 

But fighting (between Israel and Hezbollah) has escalated since late September, with Israel intensifying bombing on swathes of Lebanon's south and east and making ground incursions into border villages.

On Wednesday, the Lebanese health ministry said that the death toll from Israeli attacks since the beginning of the latest conflict climbed to 3,365 with more than 14,300 people injured.

Also watch | Israel's mixed signals over Lebanon truce

Meanwhile, the death toll from the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip has climbed to 43,712, the health ministry in Gaza said on Wednesday. More than 103,200 people have been injured since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, 2023. 

Trump wants to bring an end to wars in West Asia

Donald Trump has said that he wants to bring an end to the ongoing wars in West Asia. However, Trump told Israeli PM Netanyahu last month to do what he (Netanyahu) had to do against Hamas and Hezbollah.

The Washington Post report also pointed out that it was unclear what impact, if any, the Lebanon proposal discussed at Mar-a-Lago would have on the stalled truce talks in Gaza. 

(With inputs from agencies)