Israel notes ‘some progress’ towards ceasefire in Lebanon

The Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gideon Saar, reported this Monday, November 11, “some progress” with a view to a ceasefire in Lebanon which he however conditioned on the satisfaction of Israeli demands as a prerequisite.

“There is some progress”he said in response to a question about the prospects of such a truce. “We are working on the subject with the Americans”he added during a press conference in Jerusalem.

Among the conditions of an agreement, he mentioned the fact that the “Hezbollah does not [puisse] no longer arm yourself » and that this Islamist movement is pushed back a good distance from the Israeli-Lebanese border. “The main challenge will be to enforce what has been agreed”affirmed Gideon Saar, taking up an idea already expressed by several members of the Israeli government in recent months.

Also read

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes in particular that only Israel is capable of enforcing an agreement in southern Lebanon, unlike the current situation where this mandate is largely entrusted to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Stationed there since 1978 to act as a buffer with Israel, UNIFIL is responsible for monitoring the Blue Line, the demarcation line set by the UN between Lebanon and Israel.

“Support Front”

In mid-September, the Israeli army launched a major military offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

In the preceding months, clashes on the border between Israel and Lebanon were almost daily.

Hezbollah said it was opening a “support front” in solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the scene of an offensive launched by Israel in response to the unprecedented attack perpetrated on its soil by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

Tens of thousands of residents, in Lebanon and Israel, have been forced to leave their homes.

Several attempts at mediation between Israel and Lebanon took place, notably via the United States and France, but none were successful.