Israel cease-fire plan for Lebanon seeks to bypass UN, as US mediators travel to Jerusalem for talks

JERUSALEM – President Biden’s top Middle East advisers are scrambling to mediate a temporary cease-fire deal between Israel and the Lebanon-based terrorist movement Hezbollah that would dislodge the reportedly ineffective U.N. mission.

The controversial United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was tasked by a U.S.-backed U.N. Security Council resolution with aiding the Lebanese army following the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, with a goal toward disarming the Iran-backed terrorist organization. 

On Wednesday, Reuters reported that a person briefed on the talks and a senior diplomat working on Lebanon said the two-month period would be used to finalize full implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, adopted in 2006 to keep southern Lebanon free of arms outside state control.

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U.S. presidential advisers Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk are slated to arrive in Israel on Thursday in an attempt to seal the temporary cease-fire deal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a security consultation meeting on Tuesday with key defense members of his administration and discussed the elements of a long-term deal to stop Hezbollah, according to Israel’s Channel 12. 

Amit Segal, chief political analyst of Channel 12, told Fox News Digital, "The end of the war in Lebanon, with an agreement that allows Israel to respond with fire to any violation, is a clear victory after a year of fighting and fundamentally changes the situation. This is why Hezbollah is still hesitant, and the increasing military pressure is intended to convince them."

Segal said the potential deal involves Israeli enforcement of Resolution 1701 with the Lebanese army instead of the controversial UNIFIL mission.

Israeli media reported Naim Qassem, the new Hezbollah leader, pledged on Wednesday in a public address that the "work program" of Hassan Nasrallah will continue, including its war against the Jewish state. Nasrallah was killed last month in an Israeli strike. Qassem went on to claim Hezbollah is facing "American, European and global war to put an end to our resistance." 

He also said Hezbollah was not pushing for a cease-fire. "If the enemy wants to stop, we will accept terms that are suitable to us. Any solution will be through negotiations," the Hezbollah terror leader added. 

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Qassem helped co-found Hezbollah, which launched suicide bombings against U.S. diplomatic and military personnel in 1983. The bombing of the U.S. embassy in Beirut killed 63 people, and Hezbollah also murdered 241 people at the U.S. Marine barracks in the Lebanese capital.

After Hezbollah announced Qassem’s as its new leader, IDF Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated on X that it would be a "temporary appointment" and "not for long."

The Iran regime-backed Hezbollah movement – the de facto ruler over Lebanon, according to the Mideast expert Walid Phares – has suffered severe operational defeats, including Israel’s targeted assassination of its long-term leader Nasrallah in Beirut.

The IDF announced on Wednesday that a military strike eliminated Mustafa Ahmad Shahadi, deputy commander of Hezbollah's Radwan Forces in the area of Nabatieh. According to the IDF, "Shahadi advanced numerous terror attacks against the State of Israel. His targeting is part of the effort to degrade Hezbollah’s Radwan Forces' capabilities to direct and execute terror activities against IDF troops and communities in the northern border, in particular the ‘Conquer the Galilee’ plan."

With hundreds of rockets still being launched against Israel by Hezbollah, Gallant said on Tuesday, "I estimate the remaining capacity of the missiles and rockets to be in the order of 20%, and also it is not organized in the way that it used to be organized, in a way that [Hezbollah] could fire [large] volleys."

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The IDF has urged UNIFIL troops to withdraw from south Lebanon. However, UNIFIL declined to relocate its personnel from the war zone.

Hezbollah terrorists endangered UNIFIL personnel on Tuesday, with a UNIFIL spokesperson seemingly avoiding condemnation of the attack by saying, "A rocket hit UNIFIL’s headquarters in Naqoura, setting a vehicle workshop on fire. While some peacekeepers suffered minor injuries, fortunately no one was seriously injured. The rocket was fired from north of UNIFIL's headquarters, likely by Hezbollah or an affiliated group. We have opened an investigation into the incident."

Fox News approached UNIFIL spokeswoman Kandice Ardiel about an Israel Hayom media report that Hezbollah bribed UNIFIL personnel to exploit their positions against Israel. Ardiel, said, "I would take anonymous stories with a grain of salt. Peacekeeping is challenging work, particularly in the area in which UNIFIL operates. Peacekeepers are impartial, though that has not stopped both sides from accusing us of supporting or spying for the other. Nonetheless, we will investigate any allegation based on credible evidence."

Lt. Col. Sarit Zehavi, president and founder of the Israel-based Alma Research and Education Center, told Fox News Digital that "UNIFIL actually enabled Hezbollah to build its military infrastructures not only in private territories but also in the open areas between the towns and villages." She said Hezbollah excavated tunnels in these areas. Alma tracks Hezbollah activity in southern Lebanon.

The IDF announced on Wednesday that it destroyed a Hezbollah "underground command center and a second site containing half a ton of explosives."