The White House rushed to “build” the momentum as soon as there was agreement among the 12 nations, led by the US, on the proposed cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah presenting it as a diplomatic achievement.

In essence, however, he is commenting on it BBCit was only a request for a ceasefire and not a ceasefire per se.

The announcement urged both sides to cease hostilities for 21 days to allow time for further mediated conversations.

In addition, the 12 countries called for a diplomatic settlement, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which was adopted to end the latest war. Israel-Lebanon in 2006, which was never properly implemented. The text also called for a cease-fire agreement in Gaza.

In addition to the 21-day ceasefire, the announcement also “packages” a number of other unresolved regional issues for almost two decades.

But as it turned out on the ground, the “diplomatic achievement” by no means meant that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed on anything.

Analysts believe that US officials tried to portray the situation as more advanced than it actually was – perhaps in an attempt to publicly pressure both sides.

Asked if Israel and Hezbollah were on the same page about the deal, a senior official said: “I can tell you that we had talks with both sides and we felt it was the right time based on the request for a ceasefire, based on the discussion us – and they are familiar with the text… We will let them talk about their actions in accepting the agreement in the next few hours.”

Asked again if that meant Israel and Hezbollah had signed on—especially since the U.S. has no direct contact with Hezbollah—the official clarified that the U.S. had talked extensively about the text with Israeli officials and the Lebanese government (i.e. its officials would have contact with Hezbollah).

“Our expectation is that when the Lebanese government and the Israeli government accept it, it will be implemented as a ceasefire on both sides,” said the official, who spoke to the BBC on condition of anonymity.

That promising image was shattered when officials woke up the next morning to find Israel was once again bombing Lebanon, including Beirut.

So how important is diplomacy and can it really lead to a ceasefire?

Early signs are not good. Netanyahu’s office, as he left for New York for his speech at the UN, issued a defiant statement saying he had not yet agreed on anything. He added that he ordered the Israeli army to continue the attacks with all their might.

His prime minister Lebanon Najib Mikati rejected reports that he had signed the proposed ceasefire, saying they were “totally untrue”.

It is noteworthy that the Americans together with the French diplomats used the words “immediate ceasefire”. After October 7, the US for months actively blocked UN Security Council resolutions calling for such a cease-fire in Gaza, until President Biden unexpectedly used the word and the US position changed.

Since then, intensive diplomacy led by Washington has failed to produce a ceasefire and hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas, with the US currently citing a lack of “political will” from Hamas and Israel. Meanwhile, the US continued to arm Israel.

The above facts do not inspire confidence that Washington and its allies can now lead Israel and Hezbollah to an immediate truce.

On the other hand, the difference with the Gaza negotiation is that now there is no discussion of hostages.

But each side’s goals are still very important. Israel wants 60,000 displaced Israelis to return from the north and maintain security there without daily rocket fire from Lebanon.

Hezbollah is seeking to halt Israeli strikes in Lebanon, where more than 90,000 people have also been displaced from the south.

The Shiite group will seek to maintain its hold on the country and its presence in the south, while trying to ensure last week’s bloody events do not cause more resentment within the group amid Lebanon’s fractious sectarian divisions.

The BBC’s assessment is that Washington pushed for a 21-day ceasefire to buy time to reach a longer-term settlement based on UN Security Council resolution 1701, which calls for Hezbollah to withdraw from a strip of Lebanon south of the Litani River and , in the long run, its disarmament.

For the last 18 years, the two sides have accused each other of violating the terms of the decision.

This means that a goal, which has been unresolved for almost two decades, is now included in the short-term plan for a ceasefire between the two sides.

At the time when rockets rain downtoday’s diplomacy demands a lot.