AA / Paris / Ümit Dönmez
US President Joe Biden and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a ceasefire, the result of several weeks of intensive diplomatic negotiations. In a joint statement, they said: “Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a ceasefire between their two countries. »
According to the statement, the agreement aims to “end the fighting in Lebanon and protect Israel from the threat posed by Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations operating from Lebanon.” It also plans to “create the conditions necessary for the lasting restoration of calm and allow the safe return to their homes of residents on both sides of the Blue Line”.
In a statement, Joe Biden confirmed that “the Lebanese and Israeli governments have agreed to a ceasefire agreement ending a destructive conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.” The American President specified that the agreement would come into force “tomorrow at 4:00 a.m. local time”.
Furthermore, Biden stressed that the Lebanese army would be deployed to take control of southern Lebanon “within 60 days”, and that Israel would carry out a “gradual withdrawal of its forces”. This approach aims to strengthen Lebanese sovereignty and avoid a return to violence.
The joint statement also emphasized the commitment of the United States and France to “work with Israel and Lebanon to ensure that this arrangement is implemented in full and enforced.” Both countries expressed their determination to “ensure that this conflict does not provoke a new cycle of violence”.
– Reactions and context
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati welcomed the agreement, negotiated with the support of the United States and France, during a telephone interview with Joe Biden, reports the Lebanese national news agency ANI.
In the evening, Israeli media confirmed that the cabinet led by Benyamin Netanyahu had approved the ceasefire. Netanyahu, however, indicated that the duration of the agreement would depend on developments on the ground.
At the same time, Joe Biden declared that the United States would “make another attempt” to negotiate a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, with the support of Turkey, Egypt, Qatar and Israel “in the days to come”.
– Humanitarian situation in Lebanon and Gaza
Since the end of September, Israel has been carrying out a vast campaign of airstrikes in Lebanon against what it claims are Hezbollah targets. This campaign marks an escalation in the cross-border war waged by the Israelis and the Lebanese group since the start of the offensive on the Gaza Strip. On October 1, Israel launched a ground attack in southern Lebanon.
Israeli attacks have forced more than a million Lebanese to flee their homes and killed 3,823 people, injuring 15,859 others, according to the latest report released by the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
The ICC issued warrants last Thursday against Benyamin Netanyahu, his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif for war crimes and crimes against humanity. While Israel is not a party to the ICC and the United States has withdrawn from it, several European countries, including Italy and the United Kingdom, have announced their intention to respect these mandates.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas, triggered on October 7, 2023 by an attack by the Palestinian movement, led to an Israeli declaration of war against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
This response, marked by airstrikes and a ground invasion, caused a catastrophic human toll: more than 45,000 dead, the majority of them children and women, as well as more than 104,000 injured. The massive destruction left hundreds of thousands of people homeless.
At the same time, South Africa has filed a complaint against Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over accusations of genocide in Gaza.
Only part of the dispatches, which the Anadolu Agency broadcasts to its subscribers via the Internal Broadcasting System (HAS), is broadcast on the AA website, in summary form. Please contact us to subscribe.
