Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Tuesday that the Israeli cabinet will approve an agreement for a ceasefire in Lebanon whose duration ‘will depend on what happens there’, saying the military offensive in the country has set Hezbollah ‘back decades’.
‘Tonight I will present to the cabinet of ministers a plan for a ceasefire in Lebanon,’ Netanyahu said in a speech to the nation quoted by international media, warning that whether or not the armistice – which initially will last 60 days – would continue “will depend on what happens in Lebanon”. ‘If Hezbollah tries to attack us, if they rearm, if they rebuild their infrastructure along the border, we will attack them,’ Bibi said.
‘Hezbollah is no longer the same Hezbollah,’ Netanyahu insisted, claiming that the Iranian-linked Shi’ite group “has gone back decades”, and recalling that in recent months Israel had assassinated Hassan Nasrallah and other prominent leaders of the organisation, destroyed most of its missile arsenal, and razed its underground tunnel structure near the border. Earlier this morning, the Israeli army carried out further heavy bombardment of south Beirut neighbourhoods.
The details of the ceasefire agreement are not yet known, but it could be based on Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah: it would begin with a withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon and a withdrawal of Hezbollah militias north of the Litani River, with the Lebanese army occupying the territory with support from UNIFIL, the UN mission in the region.
The United States – which has been the driving force behind the negotiations – and France will enforce the agreement, reserving Israel the right to defend itself if attacked. After 13 months of war in Lebanon, the conflict has left more than 3,760 Lebanese dead, mostly civilians, and 1.2 million refugees forced to flee their homes.
VOTE
EDITORIAL TEAM
🧿 About us
.
Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
…
📣 Your ADVERTISING on Hispanatolia
.
🤗 HELP US WITH A DONATION:
💗 Paypal
