Israel Approves Hezbollah Deal, Bringing Truce Closer 

 Israeli ministers endorsed a truce that still needs formal approval in Lebanon. It followed an intense barrage of Israeli strikes in and near Beirut.

"President Biden just spoke with Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister’s office said. Netanyahu thanked Biden for U.S. involvement in achieving the cease-fire deal and for 'the understanding that Israel will preserve its freedom of action in enforcing it.' ”--Aaron Boxerman, reporting from Jerusalem

"The Biden administration and its allies hope that the truce will become a durable cease-fire, ending a war that has displaced hundreds of thousands of people in Lebanon and Israel, killed over 3,000 Lebanese and 70 Israelis and upended the regional balance of power.

 n the hours before Israeli ministers approved the deal, the Israeli military launched one of its heaviest barrages of airstrikes since the war began, hitting the heart of Beirut and Hezbollah-dominated neighborhoods south of the city.

The cease-fire is officially an agreement among Israel, Lebanon and mediating countries including the United States. Nabih Berri, the speaker of Lebanon’s Parliament, has been acting as a liaison with Hezbollah, and any deal was expected to include the group’s unofficial approval."