President-elect Donald Trump's transition team received a briefing from the chief architect of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah under President Biden, a senior administration official said Tuesday.
Amos Hochstein, Mr. Biden's chief negotiator on the ceasefire, spoke to Mr. Trump's national security team about who is covered by the deal announced Tuesday and the U.S. commitments to parts of the deal, including monitoring its implementation. He led two briefing sessions with
One briefing took place immediately after the election, and the Trump team held other briefings over the past 24 to 48 hours as an agreement between Israel and Hezbollah on the deal loomed.
“They seem to be cooperative,” the official said of the Trump campaign.
“I think they agreed that this is a good thing for Israel. [Israeli] prime minister [Benjamin] Prime Minister Netanyahu said it is good for Lebanon, as the Lebanese government has said, and it is good for U.S. national security. And most importantly, doing it now instead of later can save countless lives on both sides. ”
The official said ceasefire talks reached their most intensive stage just before the U.S. presidential election, with Netanyahu asking Hochstein to attend a meeting in Jerusalem that suggested there was room for a deal. .
Trump's transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment on which members of the president-elect's team had been briefed. Mike Walz, President Trump's nominee for national security adviser, met with national security adviser Jake Sullivan last week.
washington post reported earlier this monthThe Netanyahu administration gifted the incoming Trump administration a ceasefire with Lebanon. Before the election, President Trump reportedly met with Prime Minister Netanyahu In a phone call, he told Hezbollah and Hamas in the Gaza Strip to “do what you have to do.”
The Biden administration has not sent U.S. troops to enforce the cease-fire agreement, but it has sent diplomats and military officials to a monitoring mechanism alongside France and other partners to field complaints of violations.
The oversight mechanism will be chaired by the United States and will work with the Lebanese Armed Forces, along with partner nations, to ensure that the Lebanese Armed Forces' capabilities are improved, necessary training is provided, and information flows in real time. Ensures that any potential violations are deterred. ”
In the event of a violation, the oversight team will work with the Lebanese Armed Forces and Lebanese security forces to address the violation immediately.
“We aim for a violation-free implementation, and if violations occur, we expect them to be addressed effectively, efficiently and in a timely manner,” the official said.
Another element of the oversight mechanism, officials said, is a military technical committee involving the United States and several other countries that will provide additional support, equipment, training, financial support and resources to the Lebanese military and security forces. It will be provided.
The idea is to be constantly present alongside the Lebanese army to deter invasion.
“The idea here is that unlike in 2006, when the international community reached an agreement and then abandoned the scene, here we remain committed to being on the ground every day,” he said, referring to the now-expired UN ceasefire agreement. the official said, referring to this. Regarding the Second Lebanon War, he said, “I want everyone to watch what's going on and let everyone know that the world is watching, whether it's Hezbollah, whether it's other organizations, whether it's other terrorist organizations.'' You should let me know.”
