Netanyahu warns
Lebanon: Ceasefire comes into force
After more than a year of war between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia, a ceasefire has been in force since Wednesday morning. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a warning to the militia, which is supported by arch-enemy Iran: "The duration of the ceasefire depends on what happens in Lebanon."
Until shortly before the ceasefire brokered by the USA and France came into force, Israel had carried out particularly massive attacks on the capital Beirut and the southern suburbs. Heavy explosions could be heard all over the capital, as a reporter described during the night. At 4.00 a.m. the explosions and the thundering of the warplanes had then stopped. Hezbollah had also previously continued to fire rockets at northern Israel, where the sirens sounded again.
The Israeli army also bombed a Lebanese border crossing to neighboring Syria. This was reported by Lebanese security circles. Two soldiers of the Syrian government troops were killed, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. According to the Syrian state agency SANA, six people were killed - civilians and a volunteer from the Syrian Red Crescent.
Israel's army did not comment on the attacks. According to the Observatory, the aim of the attacks is to cut off supply routes for the Lebanese Hezbollah militia, which, according to experts, obtains its weapons from Iran via Syria and other countries. "The Israelis are trying to destroy all routes through which Hezbollah smuggles weapons from Syria," said the head of the Observatory, Rami Abdul Rahman.
Withdrawal plan of Israeli ground troops
According to unconfirmed media reports on the agreement, the Shiite militia will initially withdraw behind the Litani River about 30 kilometers north of the de facto Israeli-Lebanese border. After that, Israel's ground troops should withdraw from Lebanon within 60 days. In order to prevent the return of Hezbollah fighters, soldiers from the Lebanese army, which is not actually involved in the war, are to be stationed in the border area parallel to the Israeli withdrawal, as reported by a senior representative of the US government.
The US had not negotiated the ceasefire with Hezbollah, but with the Lebanese government, it was said. The latter must now take responsibility for what happens in their country. Whether it will be able to do so in view of the weakness of the Lebanese state is questionable.
Israel retains "full military freedom of action"
Lebanon's Acting Prime Minister Najib Mikati called for the agreement to be implemented immediately. According to the media, the ceasefire is to be monitored by a group of states led by the USA and comprising France, Lebanon, Israel and the UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL, which has been stationed in Lebanon for years.
The monitoring commission is also supposed to ensure that the militia does not rearm. Israel claims the right to intervene militarily in Lebanon at any time should Hezbollah break the agreement and the Lebanese army and the international group of states remain inactive. "With the full agreement of the USA, we retain full military freedom of action," said Netanyahu. "If Hezbollah violates the agreement and tries to arm itself, we will attack."
Biden: "Gaza also deserves an end to the fighting"
Originally, Hezbollah, which is allied with the radical Islamic Palestinian militia Hamas, said it only wanted to end its attacks on Israel once a ceasefire had been reached in Gaza. It has now apparently waived this condition. An end to the war with Hezbollah would leave Hamas isolated in the Gaza Strip, said Netanyahu. "We will increase the pressure on Hamas," he announced in the evening. This could pave the way for an agreement on the release of the hundred or so hostages who are still believed to be in the Gaza Strip - although it is unclear how many of them are still alive.
US President Biden is also in favor of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. "Just as the Lebanese people deserve a future of security and prosperity, the people of Gaza deserve a future of security and prosperity. They too deserve an end to the fighting," he said.
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