Four senior Lebanese officials said Monday that U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron are expected to present the ceasefire agreement within the next 36 hours. The White House, however, tempered this information, specifying that “we are close to a ceasefire, but nothing is finalized yet.” The agreement can only come into force after approval by the Israeli security cabinet, which is scheduled to meet today at 4 p.m. A senior Israeli politician clarified that the official announcement by Biden and Macron would probably only come Wednesday morning, after this validation.
Three main reasons motivated Israel's decision to move forward with this agreement. “First, we want to avoid as much as possible a vote in the Security Council, both for the north and for the south. Second, there is a need for a change of forces. The reservists have been fighting for more than a year, from Lebanon to Gaza and from Gaza to Lebanon Third, we want to cut the link between Gaza and Lebanon,” the official explained.
The text explicitly excludes the release of Hezbollah prisoners. “The American document is the most important. If the agreement is violated, we will retaliate,” the official warned, stressing that Israel would retain the right to strike in the event of the transfer of weapons or the construction of terrorist infrastructure.
The Israeli army claims to have “destroyed 70% of Hezbollah's rocket capabilities” and “eliminated 3,500 terrorists” since the start of hostilities. The return of residents of northern Israel, however, remains uncertain: “We understand the complexity of the situation. We will not call on residents to return, even after 60 days. We will let time and the reality on the ground decide.” , said the official.
The Élysée welcomed this “significant progress”, the fruit of diplomatic efforts led by Macron and Biden since September. The New York Times reports that Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has given the green light to the agreement, according to sources within the Revolutionary Guards.
