President-elect Trump’s transition team has received briefings from the chief architect of the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal under President Biden, a senior administration official said Tuesday.
Amos Hochstein, Biden’s lead negotiator on the ceasefire, led two briefings with Trump’s national security team on the tenants of the deal — which was announced on Tuesday — and U.S. commitments to parts of the deal that include providing oversight of implementation.
One briefing occurred just after the election, and the Trump team received another briefing over the past 24 to 48 hours as an agreement between Israel and Hezbollah surrounding the deal became imminent.
“They seem to be supportive,” the official said of the Trump team.
“I think they agreed that this is good for Israel, as [Israeli] Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu just said, it is good for Lebanon, as their government has said, and it is good for the national security of the United States. And most importantly, doing it now versus later will save countless lives on both sides.”
The negotiations for a ceasefire reached their most intensive point just before the U.S. presidential election, the official said, with Netanyahu asking for Hochstein to come to a meeting in Jerusalem where it was indicated there was a window for an agreement.
“President Trump has been crystal clear that his support for Israel and his commitment to peace in the Middle East is steadfast. Hezbollah understands this is their best opportunity to get a more favorable deal done,” an official from the Trump Vance Transition team said in a statement to the Hill.
“Ran-backed proxies clearly see the clock ticking as President Trump will soon return to the White House with a strong national security team, including Marco Rubio, Mike Waltz, and Pete Hegseth, with U.S. intelligence led by Tulsi Gabbard and John Ratcliffe. President Trump rightfully predicted that actors in the region would make moves toward peace because of his historic victory — and that’s exactly what we are seeing take place.”
The transition team did not address who in Trump’s national security team participated in meetings with Hochstein. Trump’s pick for national security adviser, Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), met with national security adviser Jake Sullivan last week.
The Washington Post reported earlier this month that the Netanyahu government was gifting a ceasefire with Lebanon to the incoming Trump administration. Ahead of the election, Trump reportedly spoke with Netanyahu on the phone and said “do what you have to do” with Hezbollah and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
While the Biden administration is not committing U.S. troops to enforce the ceasefire deal, it is committing diplomats and military personnel to an oversight mechanism, alongside France and other partners, to receive any complaints of violations.
The oversight mechanism will be chaired by the United States, and along with partners, they will work with the Lebanese army to make sure that its capacity is building, the necessary training is provided, and that information can flow on a real-time basis to make sure that any potential violations are deterred.
If there are violations, the oversight team will work with the Lebanese army and Lebanese security forces to immediately address the violations.
“We are seeking to have a violation-free implementation. And if violations do occur, we are expecting that they are addressed effectively, efficiently and in a timely manner,” the official said.
Another element of the oversight mechanism is a Military Technical Committee, to include the U.S. and several other countries, the official said, and it will provide additional support, equipment, training and financial support and resources to the Lebanese army and security services.
The idea is to have a constant presence alongside the Lebanese Armed Forces to deter aggression.
“The idea here is that, unlike in 2006 where the international community reached the agreement and then abandoned the scene, here we remain committed to be on the ground day to day,” the official said, referring to the United Nations ceasefire agreement that ended the 2006 Lebanon war, “watch what’s happening and to let everybody know, whether it’s Hezbollah or another organization, other terrorist organizations, that the world is watching.”
Updated at 6:28 p.m. EDT
