Ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah expected to halt war in Lebanon within hours
Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah appear ready to block the move War that killed nearly 3,800 people Attacks in Lebanon last year injured some 16,000 people. President Joe Biden is expected to announce on Tuesday that the United States has helped achieve a ceasefire in Lebanon that ends fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, according to a U.S. official.
According to the agreement, a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire will be implemented immediately. Israeli forces will have 60 days for a full withdrawal – a gradual withdrawal to allow Lebanese forces to mobilize and move in to secure the area, but the trigger is immediate and is set to take effect later on Tuesday.
The first withdrawal of Israeli troops will begin within the next 10 days.
Hezbollah is expected to withdraw its troops and heavy weapons to the Litani River, about 20 miles from the Israeli border.
An official in Netanyahu’s office told CBS News that the prime minister has convened the country’s security cabinet to discuss the proposal. Cabinet must approve any ceasefire agreement. Netanyahu also held a meeting in Tel Aviv on Tuesday with a number of government ministers, lawmakers and mayors from northern towns that have been evacuated for months.
The Lebanese government must also unilaterally ratify the deal on Tuesday, but U.S. officials said that was expected. The ceasefire would end Lebanon’s worst war since the 1990 civil war.
Netanyahu will address the nation on Tuesday at 8pm local time (1pm ET), according to his office, before Mr Biden speaks on the deal in Washington within hours .
Biden is expected to mention France in his speech on Tuesday, according to a U.S. official. France did not help negotiate the deal but will be involved in its implementation.
The U.S. official said President-elect Donald Trump’s team had been briefed on the situation and was positive about the plan. Iran was also notified given Tehran’s support for Hezbollah. Hezbollah is a powerful military and political entity in Lebanon and has long been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and Israel.
“We are in the final stages of securing a ceasefire in Lebanon,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters on Tuesday after meeting with G7 leaders in Italy. “We are not there yet, but I believe we are in the final stages. stage.”
Blinken said: “This is an intensive diplomatic effort over several months by the United States, France and other partners working with Israel, Lebanon, and if we come to the conclusion that I hope to reach very soon, it will save lives in Lebanon and Israel. and livelihoods. It will play a huge role in creating conditions for people in northern Israel and southern Lebanon to return home safely.”
Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on October 8, 2023, in support of its Hamas ally that sparked the conflict with Israel. Gaza war The terrorist attack that happened the day before.
Israel had been conducting airstrikes against Hezbollah targets for months, but in September Its attacks have escalated dramatically and countering Iranian proxy groups, including launching ground operations in southern Lebanon.
CBS News reporter Deborah Pata says The rocket is still flying in both directions Israel and Hezbollah engaged in their fiercest fighting yet over Israel’s northern border on Tuesday, even as diplomats pushed for peace.
Ayal Margolin/Reuters
Under the proposed agreement, Lebanese forces and U.N. peacekeepers are expected to conduct joint patrols in southern Lebanon to ensure that the terms of the agreement are adhered to. Earlier reports said the southern region would be overseen by a multinational committee that includes the United States and France.
Danny Sitrinovich, a fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank and an expert on the Middle East, said the deal “looks good on the surface” but added that until it is implemented, “it’s hard to know whether Israel can actually deliver on these guarantees.” “Build on the basis of continued efforts” from the US government. “
After more than a year of fighting, more than 1.2 million people have left their homes in Lebanon, including at least 60,000 from towns and villages in northern Israel. They all long to return home, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long said that from the Israeli government’s perspective, the main goal of the war against Hezbollah is to enable them to return home.
While a deal with Hezbollah appears closer than ever, ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas, Iran’s other proxy force in the Gaza Strip, have made no progress.
Blinken said Tuesday that easing tensions in the region “can also help us end the conflict in Gaza.”
“Hamas in particular knows that it cannot hope to open other fronts in the war,” he said.
Many people are starving in the devastated Palestinian territories, where recent heavy rains have worsened living conditions. The cold of winter has arrived, with reports that Israel launched a new round of attacks in Gaza City on Tuesday, killing about 15 people.
Arden Farhi and
contributed to this report.
