Lebanese officials: Efforts underway for ceasefire in Lebanon

Two senior Lebanese officials told Reuters on Wednesday they had been briefed that efforts were underway for a ceasefire in Lebanon, but did not have details on when it would begin or how long it would last.

The officials both said it was likely the ceasefire's duration would be linked to how long a truce between the United States and Iran holds.

One of the officials said the U.S. had been pressuring Israel, including in talks in Washington on Tuesday, to work towards a ceasefire in Lebanon.

SECURITY MEETING IN ISRAEL

Meanwhile, according to an earlier Reuters report on April 15, Israel's security cabinet will convene to discuss a possible Lebanon ceasefire, a senior Israeli official said, more than five weeks into a war with Hezbollah that was ignited by the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet will meet at 8 p.m. (1700 GMT), the official said.

Israel's offensive in Lebanon, which began on March 2 after the Iran-backed Hezbollah opened fire at Israel in support of Tehran, has killed more than 2,000 people and forced 1.2 million from their homes, according to Lebanese authorities.

U.S. President Donald Trump earlier said the war with Iran could end soon, telling the world to watch out for an "amazing two days", while U.S. forces imposing a blockade turned back vessels leaving Iranian ports.

On Tuesday, the United States hosted the first direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in decades. Israel had ruled out discussion of a ceasefire with Lebanon during those talks.

Trump has urged Israel to scale back attacks in Lebanon, apparently to avoid undermining the ceasefire with Iran.

Iran has said Israel's ​campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon must be included in any agreement to end the wider war in the Middle East. Washington has pushed back, saying there is no ​link between the two sets of talks.

- Jana Choukeir and Tala Ramadan in Dubai; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Sharon Singleton, Janane ana Choukeir and Tala Ramadan in Dubai; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Sharon Singleton, Janane Venkatraman and Alison Williams/Reuters

≈; Editing by Sharon Singleton/Reuters