In a move that came as no surprise to many observers, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to prepare a plan for a ceasefire in Lebanon as a gift to President-elect Donald Trump, according to the Washington Post.

The Washington Post quoted an Israeli official as saying that there is an understanding that Israel will present a gift to Trump, and that next January there will be an understanding regarding Lebanon.

The newspaper quoted three current and former Israeli officials as saying that a close aide to Netanyahu told Trump and Jared Kushner that Israel was rushing to move forward with a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon with the aim of providing an early foreign policy win for the president-elect.

It is noteworthy that Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, who is close to Netanyahu, met Trump at his resort, Mar-a-Lago, in the US state of Florida, before he began his official meetings in the capital, Washington.

Some American commentators considered this behavior a departure from American norms by Netanyahu's government, and that it was only concerned with trying to secure its very special relationship with the new Republican administration.

Israeli conditions

The Washington Post added that the talks with Trump focused on an Israeli proposal for a ceasefire in Lebanon that includes Western and Russian cooperation.

An Israeli military official was quoted as saying that plans were underway to intensify ground operations in Lebanon if the talks ultimately collapsed, stressing that the terms of the agreement would require Hezbollah to withdraw beyond the Litani River.

The Lebanese army will also take control of the border area for an initial period of 60 days under US and British supervision.

The Israeli proposal calls on Russia to prevent Hezbollah from rearming via Syrian land routes. Russian officials visited Israel last month to discuss the plan, and the Washington Post reported that Israeli Minister Dermer secretly visited Russia for further discussions.

In an attempt to relieve the current US administration of embarrassment, the newspaper quoted an American official as saying that Netanyahu is still engaged with President Joe Biden's administration regarding the ceasefire process in Lebanon.

She explained that work to reach a possible agreement is still being carried out by Biden's team, and that progress has been made in this regard.

Lebanese waiting

On the Lebanese side, Ali Hassan Khalil, political assistant to Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, said that his country is waiting to receive a new draft of the settlement that includes the formula for an agreement.

Khalil confirmed to Al Jazeera that Lebanon's position is clear, which is to commit to Resolution 1701 and all its provisions, including monitoring implementation.

He stressed that no Lebanese would accept that Israel would have freedom of movement in Lebanon after the agreement, which was confirmed by the caretaker Prime Minister of Lebanon, Najib Mikati, who said that the priority of a peaceful solution is to implement international resolution 1701 and oblige Israel to implement it in full.

Mikati reiterated Lebanon's rejection of any conditions that constitute a violation of the resolution, noting that his government is committed to strengthening the presence of the Lebanese army in the south in cooperation with UNIFIL forces.

Israel Hayom newspaper reported that US envoy Amos Hochstein is expected to present a ceasefire agreement to Lebanon within days.

Buffer zone

In a related context, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said that Israel will not cease fire and will not accept any settlement that does not achieve the goals of the war, including disarming Hezbollah and withdrawing it beyond the Litani.

"We will not allow any settlement without achieving all the goals of the war, which are disarming Hezbollah and withdrawing it beyond the Litani, and creating the basic conditions for the safe return of Israelis to the northern towns," Katz said during a tour of the Lebanese border.

Despite talk of trying to reach an agreement, Israel is seeking to establish a buffer zone in southern Lebanon, according to the newspaper "Israel Today".

At the same time, it seeks to maintain the ability to bomb Lebanon at any moment within the conditions of reaching a ceasefire agreement.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Wednesday, "Today we hear voices in Israel calling for maintaining the ability to strike at any moment, and even invade Lebanon."

The minister had held talks with Dermer and Katz last week.

After clashes with factions in Lebanon - most notably Hezbollah - that began the day after Israel launched its war of extermination on Gaza, Tel Aviv expanded the scope of the extermination to include most areas of Lebanon - including the capital Beirut - through air strikes, and it also began a ground invasion in the south.

The Israeli aggression on Lebanon resulted in a total of 3,287 martyrs and 14,222 wounded, including a large number of children and women, in addition to more than 1.2 million displaced persons.