Israel accepts a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon after 3,500 deaths in one year

The Israeli security cabinet approved this Tuesday a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon after more than a year of war with Hezbollah that has left 3,500 dead and 1.2 million displaced in the Arab country, according to Israeli Channel 12. . In Israel, 78 people have died — 47 of them civilians — and around 60,000 have had to leave their homes in the north of the country due to the exchange of fire. Now, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will present the proposal to the Council of Ministers for approval.

Netanyahu has stated that Hezbollah “is no longer the same” and that it has “gone back decades.” “We have destroyed most of the rockets and missiles. “We have killed thousands of terrorists and destroyed underground and terrorist infrastructure near our borders,” he said. “That is why I will present a ceasefire plan in Lebanon to the cabinet tonight.”

Although Netanyahu has not announced details of the ceasefire, early leaks suggest that the agreement is based on UN Security Council Resolution 1701 that ended the last major war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006, although it was never implemented. . According to these first leaks, in an initial phase of 60 days, Israeli troops would withdraw from Lebanon and Hezbollah would withdraw north of the Litani River, thus complying with the withdrawal of armed personnel from the Blue Line stipulated in the Security Council Resolution. .

Instead, the Lebanese army would be deployed in the southern part of the country with the support of the UN peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL. The leaks in the Israeli media also contemplate the creation of an international organization, headed by the US, to supervise compliance with the ceasefire and in which other countries will also be involved, including the United Kingdom, Germany and France.

The controversy lies in Israel’s claims that it will maintain the ability to attack Lebanon. Some media report that even the US has offered guarantees of support for Israeli military operations on the border in case Hezbollah reconstitutes its forces south of the Litani River.

“If Hezbollah tries to attack us, if it arms itself and rebuilds infrastructure near the border, we will attack. If they launch missiles, if they dig big tunnels… we will attack […] in full coordination with the US,” said Netanyahu, who added that one of the goals is to “leave Hamas alone.” The prime minister has also issued a threat: “We will soon arm ourselves with sophisticated weapons that will help us protect our troops and give us even more strength to complete our missions.”

“It is very unlikely that Hezbollah will accept that the Tel Aviv regime can enter Lebanon whenever it wants to attack military objectives and with an American guarantee,” Ignacio Gutiérrez de Terán, professor at the Department of Arab and Islamic Studies at elDiario.es, tells elDiario.es. the Autonomous University of Madrid and author of the book ‘Hezbollah: the labyrinth of the Middle East’. “And for him to commit to going north of Litani and not entering the south armed would be political suicide,” he adds.

“Lebanon is based on 1701, which does not cover what Israel is asking for (the disarmament of the militias up to Litani), which is why I say that Hezbollah, as it accepts the drafts that are supposedly being leaked, recognizes defeat,” adds the teacher.

Hezbollah has not been a direct party to the talks, in which the Lebanese government has assured that the Shiite militia will comply with the conditions. According to the Lebanese Executive, this is an understanding to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and not a new agreement between the parties.

The Government of Lebanon, led by Prime Minister Najib Mikati, has convened the Council of Ministers for this Wednesday “to study current events and developments” in the conflict.

The conflict between the two sides broke out on October 8, 2023, when Hezbollah attacked Israeli-occupied territory – officially Syrian territory, but which Syria considers Lebanon – in response to the offensive in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Israel bombed this Tuesday a building near a mosque located in the Nuweiri neighborhood, in the center of Beirut, and the Israeli army has confirmed having carried out operations for the first time in the eastern area of ​​the Litani River, about six kilometers from the Israeli border. This is the first time they have arrived in this area since 2000.

“The soldiers attacked different terrorist targets and engaged in close-range combat against militiamen” in the area of ​​the Litani River, detailed a military statement about the geographical point to which Israel demands that the Hezbollah militiamen withdraw.