MIDDLE EAST

NPR - A ceasefire between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon may be imminent. Officials from both countries are set to hold meetings and vote on a proposal this week. For more than a year, Israel and Hezbollah had been fighting a low-level conflict. In September, Israel widened its airstrikes on Lebanon and sent in ground troops, killing most Hezbollah leaders and devastating the country.  

It’s not a done deal, but it would be an initial two-month ceasefire involving Israeli troops withdrawing from Lebanon and Hezbollah pulling its fighters and weapons north of the Litani River, NPR’s Lauren Frayer tells Up First. The terms are almost exactly the same as the ceasefire in 2006 — the last time Israel invaded Lebanon. One stumbling block to negotiations is that Israel wants the freedom to attack Hezbollah if it believes it’s violating the deal. If the U.S. grants Israel the right to strike pre-emptively, Lebanon could see it as a violation of its sovereignty.