Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides on Wednesday said he and President Joe Biden discussed U.S. efforts to halt hostilities between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, and expressed optimism that a ceasefire could be reached in the next weeks.
U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., October 30, 2024. Reuters/Nathan Howard
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides on Wednesday said he and President Joe Biden discussed U.S. efforts to halt hostilities between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, and expressed optimism that a ceasefire could be reached in the next weeks.
Christodoulides, speaking after his meeting with Biden at the White House, said the two leaders discussed the U.S. efforts, but declined to give any details.
White House officials Brett McGurk and Amos Hochstein will visit Israel on Thursday to engage on a range of issues "including Gaza, Lebanon, hostages, Iran and broader regional matters," a U.S. official said earlier.
Two sources told Reuters that the U.S. proposal would start with a 60-day ceasefire to allowing full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, adopted in 2006 to keep southern Lebanon free of arms outside state control.
"The situation changes every day. Today, I'm kind of optimistic that we can reach a ceasefire in the next one, two weeks," Christodoulides said, underscoring the urgency of ending the fighting in the region.
Christodoulides said Cyprus, a member of the European Union, was sending humanitarian assistance to Gaza, and stood ready to evacuate third country nationals in the region if needed.
He said he had spoken recently with the leaders of Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon about the situation there, calling the push for a ceasefire in the region the most important concern.
Reporting by Andrea Shalal, Jasper Ward
The death toll from Israeli airstrikes targeting pro-Iranian groups in the central Syrian city of Palmyra on Wednesday has risen to 68, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Thursday.
Hamas' acting Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya said in remarks broadcast on Wednesday that there would be no hostages-for-prisoners swap deal with Israel unless the war in the Palestinian enclave ended.
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said in a televised speech aired on Wednesday that his group had reviewed and given feedback on a U.S.-drafted ceasefire proposal to end fighting with Israel, and that a halt to hostilities was now in Israel's hands.
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