Lebanon ceasefire efforts underway

By Nathan Morley

The Israeli Foreign Minister says that diplomatic efforts to broker a ceasefire in Lebanon are making progress.

Gideon Saar said he thought there was some advancement, adding that Israel is was working with the Americans on the issue.

He said that Israel would agree to a truce only if promised that Hezbollah pulled its forces north of the Litani River. 

Israel also insists that Hezbollah will not rearm with new weapons systems.

For their part, Hezbollah said that no official ceasefire plan has been given to the group.

Israel has been conducting a massive ground offensive in Lebanon since late September, saying its aim is to demolish Hezbollah's military resources.

Earlier, a volley of 50 rockets was fired from Lebanon into northern Israel, hurting three people.

On Sunday, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took responsibility for the deadly attack targeting Hezbollah in September, in which thousands of handheld pagers exploded across Lebanon and Syria.

Elsewhere, the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has condemned Israel's actions in Gaza, and accused the country of rendering Gaza uninhabitable.

Israel began a large-scale offensive against Hamas in Gaza in retribution for the Hamas assault on southern Israel last year.