Olmert 'accepts ceasefire deal'

Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert has accepted an emerging Mideast ceasefire deal and informed the US of his decision, Israeli officials said tonight.

Olmert will recommend that his government approves the deal in its Cabinet meeting on Sunday, said Gideon Meir, a senior official in the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

Meir said the military offensive would continue for the time being. It was not immediately clear if it would be halted after the UN Security Council vote on the ceasefire deal in the next few hours, or only after the Israeli Cabinet has endorsed it.