A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, mediated by the United States and France, will go into effect on Wednesday, according to U.S. President Joe Biden.
Photo by lil artsy on Pexels.com
The agreement marks the end of a conflict that has claimed thousands of lives and spanned the Israeli-Lebanese border, a conflict triggered by the Gaza war last year.
Biden, speaking at the White House following the approval of the deal by Israel’s security cabinet in a 10-1 vote, shared that he had communicated with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati. The fighting will cease at 4 a.m. local time (0200 GMT), Biden confirmed.
"This is designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities," Biden stated. "What is left of Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations will not be allowed to threaten the security of Israel again."
As part of the deal, Israel will gradually withdraw its forces over the next 60 days while Lebanon's army takes control of the border area to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its infrastructure.
"Civilians on both sides will soon be able to safely return to their communities," Biden added.
French President Emmanuel Macron praised the agreement on social media, calling it “the culmination of efforts undertaken for many months with the Israeli and Lebanese authorities, in close collaboration with the United States.” Lebanon’s Prime Minister Mikati also expressed support for the deal, noting that Lebanon’s army would deploy at least 5,000 troops in southern Lebanon as Israeli forces withdraw.
Netanyahu expressed Israel’s readiness to enforce the ceasefire, stressing that any violations by Hezbollah would be met with a strong response. The ceasefire would allow Israel to focus on Iran’s threat, replenish military resources, and rest its army, he said.
"We will enforce the agreement and respond forcefully to any violation. Together, we will continue until victory," Netanyahu said. "In full coordination with the United States, we retain complete military freedom of action. Should Hezbollah violate the agreement or attempt to rearm, we will strike decisively."
He also stated that Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, was significantly weaker than when the conflict began. "We have set it back decades, eliminated ... its top leaders, destroyed most of its rockets and missiles, neutralized thousands of fighters, and obliterated years of terror infrastructure near our border," he said.
The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, welcomed the agreement, urging the involved parties to solidify the achievement through concrete actions.
A senior U.S. official noted that the U.S. and France would collaborate with the UNIFIL peacekeeping force and Lebanon’s army to prevent violations of the ceasefire, although U.S. combat forces would not be deployed. This ceasefire follows a shift in attitude from both sides in late October.
Biden, nearing the end of his presidency, emphasized his administration’s continued efforts to secure a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza, where Israel continues its battle with Hamas, as well as to broker normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia.