The Israeli Army confirmed this Monday that it had bombed 25 “targets” in the last hour. Hezbollah Advisory Council throughout Lebanon, while negotiations continue between the parties for a possible truce agreement that seems close.
The attacks occurred in the southern Nabatieh, the eastern Bekah Valley and Baalbek and in the Dahye suburbs of Beirut, according to a military statement, which said that in these geographical points there were Hezbollah’s “Command Centers of the Consultative Council”as well as control and information collection centers, as well as militiamen.
“These attacks degrade the Hezbollah Consultative Council’s ability to direct and assist Hezbollah terrorists in their attacks against Israel, as well as command and control capabilities of Hezbollah and its ability to regroup and collect intelligence information,” the text justifies.
The president of the Advisory Council was Hashem Safieddinecousin of the top leader of Hezbollah, Hasan Nasrallah, and his designated successor, killed like the second in an Israeli bombing during this war.
A ceasefire
These attacks occur while Israeli sources assure that they are “closer than ever” to reaching an agreement ceasefire in Lebanon, a source close to the matter confirmed to EFE, since the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahuwould have accepted “in principle” the American proposal.
“Very significant progress has been made,” the source said of the proposal that the American mediator, Amos Hochsteinpresented both parties last week on a trip to the region.
The proposal includes three stages: a truce followed by the withdrawal of Hezbollah forces north of the Litani River; a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon, and finally, negotiations between Israel and Lebanon on the demarcation of their borderwhich is currently a dividing line established by the UN after the 2006 war.
Netanyahu held a meeting last night with some ministers and security officials to address the proposal of the US Government envoy to Joe Bidenin which he agreed to accept the draft “in principle”, but with “some reservations”.
The source explained to EFE that these reservations have to do with the “freedom of action” over Lebanese airspace that Israel demands in the event that Hezbollah breaks the terms of the ceasefire and the Lebanese troops, who would be in control of the border, do not act, something that Lebanon and the Shiite group reject outright.
However, the issue can be resolved by expressing the document in a “more vague” way, the source said, while some Hebrew media reported today that another alternative that pleases Israel is a Washington commitment letter.
Inclusion of France
The agreement also contemplates the creation of an international organization headed by the United Stateswhich will be in charge of supervising compliance with the ceasefire, in which the United Kingdom, Germany and France will also be involved.
The inclusion of France, Western power with strong influence in Lebanonin this supervisory body has contributed to unblocking the negotiations. Israel had opposed French involvement since October, when President Emmanuel Macron suggested an arms embargo on Israel, to which the then Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel Katz now head of Defense, threatened “legal and diplomatic measures” that have not materialized.
“We are moving towards an agreementbut there are still issues to be resolved,” the Israeli Government spokesperson also indicated today, David Mencerwithout giving more details in his daily press conference.
Last week, the American mediator Amos Hochstein He also stated in Beirut that there had been “significant progress” towards a truce, before traveling to Israel.
Hostilities
However, Hostilities between the militia and the Israeli army have escalated in recent days. Over the weekend, Israel launched powerful airstrikes against the neighboring country, including one in central Beirut that killed at least 29 people; while Hezbollah launched one of its largest barrages on Sunday with more than 250 projectiles.
On this issue, the Minister of National Security, the extremist Itamar Ben-Gvirwho insisted that Israel must continue the war until “absolute victory” and called on Netanyahu to stop the deal.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, Jose Manuel Albarescondemned the attacks this Monday. “Deeply shocked by the humanitarian catastrophe in Lebanon. We condemn the indiscriminate bombings on the civilian population and the launching of missiles of Hezbollah this weekend,” Albares wrote on the social network
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