US Leading Middle East Peace Effort

The United States is spearheading a new diplomatic effort to end hostilities in both Gaza and Lebanon, linking the two conflicts as part of a single initiative, six sources familiar with the initiative told Reuters.

Details are being hammered out at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, according to two Lebanese officials, two Western diplomats, a source familiar with Hezbollah's thinking and a source briefed on the talks.

The White House National Security Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It would be the first time the two fronts are linked as part of a U.S. diplomatic push, the sources said.

The deal may eventually lead to the release of hostages seized by Hamas in its Oct. 7 attack on Israel that sparked hostilities across the region, according to a senior Lebanese official, the source familiar with Hezbollah's thinking and the source briefed on the talks.

"If you don't put together a package, it's impossible to get an agreement and the war won't stop," the second Lebanese official said.

The senior Lebanese official and the source familiar with Hezbollah's thinking told Reuters that Hezbollah was "open to any settlement that would include both Gaza and Lebanon."