Biden says Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire may be easier to reach than a deal with Hamas

US President Joe Biden has suggested that negotiating a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah could be easier than forging one between Israel and Hamas.

Biden said he discussed the way ahead to end the Middle East conflict following the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during their meeting in Berlin on Friday.

"There's an opportunity in my view and my colleagues agree, that we can probably deal with Israel and Iran in a way that ends the conflict for a while," he said.

"In other words, that stops the back and forth. We think that there is a possibility of working for a ceasefire in Lebanon. And it's going to be harder in Gaza. But we agree that there has to be an outcome." 

Biden declined to say whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave him assurance in their phone call on Thursday following the confirmation of Sinwar's death that the Israelis are ready to get back to negotiations on a hostage and ceasefire deals.

"We're in the middle of discussions about that," Biden said.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said allies were working to de-escalate tensions in the region and agreed that there was no "military-only solution".

"The answer is diplomacy. And now we must make the most of this moment. What is needed now is a ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, immediate access to humanitarian aid and return to the path towards the two-state solution as the only way to deliver long term peace and security," he said.

Israel and the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah have traded almost daily fire since the war in Gaza broke out in October, displacing