After several reports in recent days about a ceasefire approaching in the north, under conditions favorable to Israel, the visit of the U.S. special envoy to the region, Amos Hochstein, has cooled the optimism in the area.
Arab media outlets close to Hezbollah officials in Lebanon and knowledgeable sources in other Arab countries report that despite the great optimism expressed by the Lebanese government, which announced that it expects a ceasefire to come into effect within "hours to days," the new assessments tell a different story.
The visit of Amos Hochstein, the U.S. special envoy for the region, to Israel and other places significantly dampened the enthusiasm in Israel, Lebanon, and the entire region. According to local reports following Hochstein's meeting with Israeli officials, those involved concluded that the chances of reaching concrete and significant agreements before the upcoming elections in the United States are almost nonexistent.
According to additional reports, the leadership of other countries and organizations in the region has also come to the understanding that "reaching a ceasefire agreement before the elections in the U.S. is difficult to impossible," according to Arab publications.