US is working urgently on a plan to mediate a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah

The United States is working urgently on a plan to mediate a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, according to three sources familiar with the matter, as officials eye with deepening concern the prospects of a widening conflict.

The United States is working urgently on a plan to mediate a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, according to three sources familiar with the matter, as officials eye with deepening concern the prospects of a widening conflict. American officials are working with officials from France and other nations to try and reach a diplomatic agreement that would pause fighting along Israel’s northern border while also resuming ceasefire and hostage talks for Gaza, the people said. The efforts come as Israel’s top general said Wednesday that the Israeli military is preparing for a possible ground incursion into Lebanon. American officials declined to provide specifics on the proposed plans, but the matter is under intensive discussion among diplomats in New York for this week’s United Nations General Assembly meetings. It is unclear how much progress had been made toward striking an agreement. On Monday night, a US official told CNN that the administration was extremely close to finalizing a plan to deescalate tensions between Israel and Hezbollah and Hamas, but that officials were trying to keep the negotiations as private as possible to avoid upending the fragile talks involving multiple countries. The plans could be a focus of conversation at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council scheduled for later Wednesday that France called for.