Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on television Tuesday that he had an agreement within the security cabinet for a ceasefire in Lebanon where Israel is fighting Hezbollah, without specifying its duration. “This evening, I will present to the (security) cabinet for approval a draft ceasefire in Lebanon. The duration of the ceasefire depends on what happens in Lebanon,” Benjamin Netanyahu said. In the evening, the Israeli security cabinet announced that it had officially approved the truce agreement in Lebanon.
“If Hezbollah violates the agreement and tries to rearm, we will attack”
“In full agreement with the United States, we maintain complete freedom of military action” in Lebanon, he added. “If Hezbollah violates the agreement and tries to rearm, we will attack.” However, he did not announce when the approximately 60,000 inhabitants of the north of the country displaced by the war with Hezbollah would be able to return home and refrained from making the slightest announcement on the subject.
Referring to the “seven fronts” (Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, the Houthi rebels in Yemen and the Iraqi paramilitary groups supported by Tehran) on which Israel is fighting, Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed that this truce would allow ” to concentrate on the Iranian threat” common, according to him, to all these fronts. “The ceasefire has three reasons for existing: the first, to focus on the Iranian threat and I will not dwell on the subject,” declared Benjamin Netanyahu.
It will also “refresh the troops and resupply” with weapons and equipment “to complete our mission”. Thirdly, “on Hamas”, the Palestinian Islamist movement that Israel is fighting in Gaza, the ceasefire contributes to its “isolation”, said Benjamin Netanyahu. “When Hezbollah is out of the game, Hamas is left alone (in Gaza). Our pressure will intensify, and this will contribute to the sacred mission of freeing our hostages,” he added.
The safe return of displaced people from northern Israel, the annihilation of Hamas and the return of all hostages held in Gaza are among the main war goals declared by the Netanyahu government.
