Hezbollah

• The U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon gave Lebanese officials a draft of a ceasefire proposal to end Israel's war with Hezbollah. [Lebanon's parliament speaker who received the draft, Nabih Berri, is an intermediary between the U.S., Israel, and France (who collaborated on the draft) on one side and Hezbollah on the other.]
• The proposal's terms weren't made public, but this version reportedly retains a contentious clause reserving Israel's right to resume hostilities if Hezbollah reoccupies border areas. That demand was the main sticking point in the previous proposal that was leaked last month and - with no indication that either party has loosened its stance - looks likely to doom this offer too.

• Tesla CEO (and incoming Commissioner of Government Efficiency) Elon Musk met Iran's Ambassador to the UN yesterday and reportedly discussed ideas for easing tensions between Iran and the U.S.
• U.S.-Iran relations deteriorated during Pres.-elect Trump's last term - Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and ordered the assassination of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander, Qassem Soleimani - but Iranian officials expressed optimism for fence mending during Trump's next term, calling the meeting with Musk "positive" and "good news."
• Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, also indicated a fresh openness to diplomacy. He told state media that Iran is "willing to negotiate" a resolution to disputes with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) over its nuclear program and eager to engage France, Germany, and the UK in talks. However, he also repeated Iran's usual warning that it would not tolerate "pressure and intimidation" in negotiations.

• Jesus Martinez, a 36-year-old opposition activist who was arrested in July during Pres. Maduro's post-election crackdown on dissent, died in police custody of complications from diabetes.
• Martinez's death ignited a fresh wave of anger at Maduro's efforts to silence the opposition by locking up anyone suspected of participating in demonstrations against his election theft. His police arrested an estimated 2,400 people during the crackdown; officials refuse to say how many remain political prisoners.

• China's October property sales declined compared to last year's figure, but the decline wasn't as drastic as September's year-on-year drop: 1.6% in October vs. 11% in September. That gave optimists hope that the ailing property market could be turning the corner towards recovery.

• Sri Lanka's leftist ruling coalition was reelected in a landslide, handing Pres. Dissanayake a clear mandate to pursue the anti-graft initiatives he promised during his winning campaign in September. Dissanayake's National People's Power coalition will now have a majority in parliament too.
• Argentina's eccentric Pres. Milei - who campaigned with a chainsaw symbolizing his commitment to slash the federal budget - is mulling another bold move: pulling his country out of the 2015 Paris climate accord. Milei's Foreign Minister told the NYT his boss is "re-evaluating our strategy on all matters related to climate change" because of "different views on the reasons" for climate change.
• Argentina would be only the second country to withdraw from the pact (the U.S. was first), and the agreement's proponents worry that Argentina's departure could inspire other signatories to reconsider their participation too.