The diplomatic push that took Lebanon from Armageddon to ceasefire

With Hochstein shuttling between the countries, meeting Israeli negotiators under Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and reporting back daily to U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, France was also in the picture. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot visited the region in early November at Israel's request despite tensions between the countries. He held long talks with Dermer on the mechanics of a ceasefire with a phased approach to redeployments, with the two delegations poring over maps, two sources aware of the matter said. As things worsened for Lebanon, there was frustration at the pace of talks. "(Hochstein) told us he needed 10 days to get to a ceasefire but the Israelis dragged it out to a month to finish up military operations," a Lebanese official said (Read more at Reuters).