Mike Waltz, the President-elect's national security advisor, said the prospect of Trump returning to office helped get the deal over the line.

The question is whether the cease-fire in Lebanon that Biden announced Tuesday will be the coda to his diplomatic efforts in the Middle East or a steppingstone to agreements that could at last end the devastating war in the Gaza Strip and potentially even set the stage for a broader regional transformation.

The ceasefire announced Tuesday is a major step toward ending nearly 14 months of fighting sparked by the ongoing war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.