Benyamin Netanyahu does not intend to ease the pressure on Hezbollah. On Monday, the Israeli Prime Minister in Jerusalem warned that Israel “will carry out military operations” against the pro-Iranian movement, even in the event of a truce agreement in Lebanon.
“The most important thing is not (what is on) paper if there is an (agreement) but the fact that we will have the obligation, in order to ensure security in the north (of Israel) , to systematically carry out operations against possible attacks by Hezbollah, even after a ceasefire,” Benjamin Netanyahu declared in Parliament.
Preventing the “strengthening” of Hezbollah
“Nothing proves that this agreement will be respected” by Hezbollah, continued the Prime Minister, referring to “not only operations in reaction to attacks [du Hezbollah] but also operations to prevent [son] reinforcement “. “We will not allow Hezbollah to return to the situation it was in on October 6” 2023, on the eve of the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. On October 8, 2023, Hezbollah launched almost daily fire on northern Israel, in support of its Palestinian ally.
The US Ambassador to Lebanon, Lisa Johnson, submitted to Lebanese officials on Thursday a proposal for a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel. “Lebanon is very positive about this proposal,” said an official who follows the negotiations on Monday, stressing that Beirut was currently finalizing its “remarks” before transmitting its response to the United States.
A ceasefire still far from won
For its part, Israel, which insists that any possible agreement guarantees the distancing of Hezbollah from the Israeli-Lebanese border, is blowing hot and cold around a cease-fire. Leaks in the press indicated that the Jewish state was demanding to be able to continue its strikes against Hezbollah after a ceasefire, which a Lebanese official considered unacceptable last week.
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The text of the American initiative has not been revealed but concerns in particular a cease-fire and an exhaustive application of resolution 1701, according to Lebanese officials. This resolution, which provides for the cessation of hostilities on both sides, made it possible to end the previous war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006.
