A ceasefire in the war between Israel and the Islamist movement Hezbollah came into effect this Wednesday in Lebanon, a truce that will allow Israeli forces to focus on tensions with Iran and the war with Hamas in Gaza, the prime minister said. Benjamin Netanyahu.
The ceasefire, promoted by the United States and France, should put an end to more than a year of cross-border shooting and two months of open war between Israel and the Lebanese formation, armed and backed by Iran.
Netanyahu spoke by phone with President Joe Biden, and thanked him for “his involvement” in reaching the agreement, the Israeli prime minister’s office reported.
Biden, in turn, celebrated the “good news” and indicated that the truce will begin on Wednesday at 04:00 local time (02:00 GMT).
The truce between Israel and Hezbollah represents a “fundamental step” for regional stability, reacted Lebanese Prime Minister Nayib Mikati.
In addition to the war in Lebanon, Israel has been fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, after the attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement in the south of its territory.
Both Hamas and Hezbollah are supported by Iran, which has fired two salvos of missiles and drones at Israel since the conflict in Gaza began. Most of the projectiles were intercepted by Israel or its allies.
A truce in Lebanon will allow Israel to “focus on the Iranian threat” and intensify “pressure” on Hamas (considered a terrorist organization by several countries), Netanyahu said in a television speech.
The duration of the ceasefire, he specified, will depend “on what happens in Lebanon” and Israel will maintain, “in full agreement with the United States,” “total freedom of action” in the country. “If Hezbollah violates the agreement and tries to rearm, we will attack,” he stressed.
The announcement of the truce comes after a day of intense Israeli bombing in central Beirut, where at least 10 people were killed, according to Lebanese authorities. Bombings were also reported on the southern outskirts of the capital, a Hezbollah stronghold.
Hours before its entry into force, the Israeli Army ordered the evacuation of residents from areas of central Beirut and the southern suburbs of the city.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah – which has not commented on the truce – announced on Tuesday night that it had launched drones against “sensitive military targets” in Tel Aviv in response to the Israeli attacks in Beirut.
Israel sought to neutralize Hezbollah
Israel launched a bombing campaign against Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon on September 23 and a ground operation in the south of the country a week later.
With this, Israel sought to neutralize Hezbollah in southern Lebanon to secure its border and allow the return of 60,000 displaced residents.
The truce agreement will “protect” Israel from the “threat” of the Shiite group, said the presidents of the United States and France, Biden and Emmanuel Macron, in a joint statement.
Both countries “will work together with Israel and Lebanon to guarantee full compliance with this agreement,” they added. They also “remain determined to ensure that this conflict does not spark a new cycle of violence.”
According to the American website Axios, the agreement negotiated in recent days provides for a 60-day truce. During that time, Hezbollah and the Israeli Army would withdraw from southern Lebanon to allow Lebanese troops to deploy to the area.
After the announcement, the Lebanese prime minister indicated that his Government was committed to “reinforcing the presence of the Army in the south of the country.”
According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, nearly 3,800 people have died in the country since October 2023. The hostilities also displaced nearly 900,000 people, according to the UN. On the Israeli side, 47 civilians and 82 soldiers died in 13 months.
The Israeli Army continues its attacks against the besieged Gaza Strip, where at least 22 people died on Tuesday, according to the Civil Defense.
The war broke out after the unprecedented attack launched by Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,207 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official data, including hostages killed or held captive.
The Israeli offensive launched in retaliation in Gaza has left at least 44,249 dead, most of them civilians, according to data from the territory’s Ministry of Health, considered reliable by the UN.