Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Tuesday in a televised statement that he would submit a plan for a ceasefire in Lebanon to his security cabinet later that night. However, he warned that “the duration of the ceasefire will depend on what happens in Lebanon.”
Benjamin Netanyahu insisted that Israel would retain “total freedom of military action” and would not hesitate to strike in the event of violations of the agreement by Hezbollah: “If Hezbollah violates the agreement and seeks to arm ourselves, we will attack. » He also affirmed that Israel will retain “total” freedom of action in Lebanon. A truce in Lebanon will allow Israel to “focus on the Iranian threat,” he said. For his part, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Tuesday that his country would act “forcefully” in the event of a violation of an agreement.
An agreement based on an American project
According to the American news site Axios, the agreement would be based on an American project providing for a 60-day truce during which Hezbollah and the Israeli army would withdraw from southern Lebanon to let the Lebanese army deploy there. It includes the establishment of an international committee to monitor its application, the site added, specifying that the United States would have given assurances of its support for Israeli military action in the event of hostile acts by Hezbollah. According to several American media, Joe Biden is expected to speak at 2:30 p.m. (local time), or 8:30 p.m. in France.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Tuesday called on the international community to “act quickly” for “an immediate implementation of a ceasefire” shortly after Israel announced the adoption this evening of a truce. “The international community is called upon to act quickly to end this aggression and immediately implement a ceasefire,” he said in a statement. At the UN, Farhan Haq, the organization’s spokesperson, declared that the peacekeeping forces (UNIFIL), as well as the UN special coordinator for Lebanon, “are ready to enforce » a cease-fire, reports the New York Times.
The United States confident but cautious
A few hours earlier, American Secretary of State Antony Blinken had expressed his cautious optimism following a briefing in Italy, during a G7 meeting. “We are in the final stages of securing a ceasefire agreement for Lebanon,” he said, while specifying: “We are not there yet,” adding that he hoped for a conclusion “very soon”.
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Antony Blinken highlighted the potential benefits of this truce for the region. He said such an agreement could “make a big difference in saving lives and livelihoods” in Lebanon and Israel. He also noted that de-escalation could reduce tensions in Gaza, where Israel is in conflict with Hamas: “In particular, Hamas will know that it cannot count on other fronts opening in the war. “.
