Negotiated with the mediation of the United States, a truce agreement was signed between Israel and Hezbollah on the evening of Tuesday, November 26. Having come into force overnight, it is fragile since the Hebrew State threatens to resume fighting if Hezbollah does not respect it, specifies Le Figaro. Benjamin Netanyahu explains that the truce was decided to allow Israel to “focus on the Iranian enemy”but also for “allow our soldiers to regroup and bring back deliveries of weapons and ammunition” and so “isolate Hamas”.
After more than a year of war against Hezbollah, the agreement is criticized by some members of the Israeli government. The last truce dates back to the end of November 2023. A one-week ceasefire was then concluded with Hamas for the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. Hezbollah entered the conflict on October 8 through “solidarity” with Hamas. The current sixty-day truce provides for the gradual withdrawal of the Israeli army south of the border and of Hezbollah north of the Litani River. The Lebanese army, with the assistance of UNIFIL, should occupy the land.
Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron attentive to respecting the agreement
The most delicate point was Israel’s desire to be able to intervene in Lebanon. A point that would be validated. In a joint statement published on Tuesday evening, Presidents Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron affirmed that Washington and Paris will ensure that the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon is “implemented in its entirety”. They also committed to ensuring that the “capacities” of the Lebanese army were strengthened.
According to Lebanese authorities, at least 3,823 people have been killed in the country since October 2023, reports franceinfo. The number of victims has increased rapidly in recent weeks. In addition, some 900,000 people have been displaced by the fighting and bombings, estimates the UN. On the Israeli side, 82 soldiers and 47 civilians were killed in thirteen months of clashes with Hezbollah, say the authorities.
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