On October 8, 2023, Hezbollah joined the fighting against Israel, a day after the surprise attack launched by Hamas. Almost a year and two months later, on Tuesday night the Security Cabinet approved the agreement that will put an end to fighting in the north.
According to the plan, the cease-fire will come into effect at 4 a.m. on Wednesday. The agreement passed in the Security Cabinet with 10 in favor and one against, Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
"Israel appreciates the US contribution to the process, and maintains its right to act against any threat to its security," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement after the announcement of the cease-fire.
U.S. President Joe Biden announced the cease-fire agreement in Lebanon from the White House
(Video: The White House)
The statement added that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "spoke to U.S. President Joe Biden and thanked him for the U.S. involvement in achieving the cease-fire agreement in Lebanon and for the understanding that Israel maintains freedom of action in enforcing it."
U.S. President Joe Biden announced the cease-fire from the White House Rose Garden on Tuesday afternoon in Washington.
"I have good news from the Middle East. I spoke with the Prime Ministers of Israel and Lebanon, they approved the cease-fire proposal between Israel and Hezbollah." Biden thanked French President Emmanuel Macron, saying: "Let's be clear - if Hezbollah violates the deal, Israel will retain the right to defend itself. In the same way, Lebanon's sovereignty must be maintained and a new beginning allowed for it."
Biden also said that "Hamas now has a choice to make; the only way out of this is to release the hostages and in the process end the fighting. In the coming days, the U.S., with the help of its partners, Egypt, Turkey and Qatar, will try to push for a cease-fire agreement in Gaza. The U.S. remains ready to conclude the historic agreements with Saudi Arabia for full normalization with Israel. I continue to believe that peace is possible. I will not stop working to achieve it."
The dissolution of Hezbollah does not appear in the agreement, which only says that it will not operate in southern Lebanon. In addition, there is no commitment that Hezbollah operatives will not return to the border area. On the other hand, the U.S. guarantee letter, which is a side agreement, allows for Israeli intelligence flights , but the planes will be prohibited from breaking the sound barrier.
Prime Minister Netanyahu listed the reasons that he said led to his decision to agree to the cease fire, including "the delay in armaments that will be resolved soon," but did not call on the residents of the north to return to their homes.
These are the 13 points included in the agreement:
* Hezbollah and all other armed groups in Lebanese territory will not carry out any offensive action against Israel.
* At the same time, Israel will not carry out any offensive military action against targets in Lebanon, including on the ground, in the air and at sea.
3 View gallery
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a pre-recorded message about a cease-fire deal in Lebanon
(Photo: GPO)
* Israel and Lebanon recognize the importance of Resolution 1701 of the UN Security Council, which calls for the withdrawal of Hezbollah and other forces from Lebanon south of the Litani River.
* These commitments do not negate the right of Israel and Lebanon to exercise their right to self-defense.
* The official Lebanese security forces and army will be the only armed entities that will be allowed to carry weapons or operate their forces in southern Lebanon.
* Any sale, supply and production of weapons or materials related to weapons to Lebanon will be under the supervision and control of the Lebanese government.
* All unauthorized facilities for the production of weapons and materials related to weapons will be dismantled.
* All military infrastructure and bases will be dismantled, and all weapons without a permit that do not comply with these obligations will be confiscated.
* A committee will be established that will be acceptable to Israel and Lebanon to oversee and assist in ensuring the enforcement of these commitments.
* Israel and Lebanon will submit reports on any expected violations of these commitments to the committee and the UNIFIL force.
* Lebanon will deploy its official security forces and military forces along all borders, crossing points and the line that defines southern Lebanon, as shown in the deployment plan.
* Israel will gradually withdraw south of the Blue Line within 60 days.
* The U.S. will promote indirect negotiations between Israel and Lebanon to reach a recognized land border.
3 View gallery
U.S. President Joe Biden announces the cease-fire deal in Lebanon from the White House
(Photo: The White House)
The U.S. guarantees to Israel
Alongside this, the United States provided guarantees to Israel. These are the sections that are included in the U.S. guarantee letter:
* Israel and the U.S. intend to share sensitive intelligence concerning violations, including any infiltration by Hezbollah into the Lebanese army.
* The U.S. may share information provided by Israel with the Lebanese government or commission to allow them to address the violations.
* The U.S. is committed to cooperating with Israel to curb Iran's destabilizing activities in Lebanon, including preventing the transfer of weapons, affiliates and others from Iranian territory.
* The US recognizes Israel's right to respond to threats coming from Lebanese territory in accordance with international law.
* In the southern region, Israel reserves the right to act at any time against violations of the commitments. Outside the southern region, Israel reserves the right to act against the development of threats directed against it, if Lebanon is unable or unwilling to thwart these threats. If Israel decides to take such steps, it will inform the U.S. of this wherever possible.
* Israeli flights over Lebanon will be conducted for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance purposes only and will not break the sound barrier.
'The war will not end until we achieve all our goals'
Netanyahu released a pre-recorded statement ahead of the announcement of the cease-fire, which allowed him to side-step questions from reporters.
"I promised you victory, and we will achieve victory. We will complete the elimination of Hamas, we will return all our hostages, we will ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel, and we will return the residents of the north safely to their homes," said the prime minister at the beginning of his statement that was recorded before the debate on approving the cease-fire in the cabinet. "The war will not end until we achieve all our goals, until we return the residents of the north safely home. It will happen, just as it happened in the south. My friends, the residents of the north, I am proud of you, your ability to endure, I am fully committed to your future."
Netanyahu also detailed Israel's actions in the various sectors of the war, including the struggles against Iran, Hamas in Gaza, the terrorist organizations in the West Bank, the Houthis in Yemen and the pro-Palestinian militias in Iraq. Referring to the war in the north, Netanyahu said that "Hezbollah chose to attack us from there on October 8. We set it back decades."
We eliminated Nasrallah; we eliminated all the senior officials of the organization and thousands of terrorists, and we destroyed most of the rocket capabilities and the infrastructure it built near our border," he added. "We have eliminated thousands of terrorists and destroyed the underground infrastructure near our border for years. We have attacked strategic targets throughout Lebanon and brought down dozens of terrorist towers in Dahieh. All of this sounded like science fiction, But it's not science fiction, we did it."
"At every moment of managing this campaign, I observe all fronts simultaneously. That is what I did at the beginning of the war when I decided to focus on Gaza and not open a broader front in Lebanon. That is what I did several months ago when the conditions ripened to go north, and then we decided to focus on Hezbollah," he said. "That is what I did after the missile attack from Iran, when we meticulously decided on the time and nature of our response. And that is what I am doing today. I observe all the fronts simultaneously and see the broad picture. I am determined to give our courageous soldiers every resource to keep them safe and bring us victory."
"Therefore, this evening I will bring a ceasefire outline for the cabinet's approval. The length of the cease-fire depends on what happens in Lebanon. With the United States' full understanding, we maintain full freedom of military action. If Hezbollah violates the agreement and tries to arm itself, we will attack. If it tries to rebuild terrorist infrastructure near the border, we will attack. If it launches a rocket, if it digs a tunnel, if it brings in a truck carrying rockets, we will attack."
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
The prime minister listed the reasons for the cease-fire in the north:
"The first reason is to focus on the Iranian threat, and I will not expand on that.
"The second reason is to give our forces a breather and replenish stocks. And I say it openly, it is no secret that there have been big delays in weapons and munitions deliveries. These delays will be resolved soon. We will receive supplies of advanced weaponry that will keep our soldiers safe and give us more strike force to complete our mission.
"And the third reason for having a ceasefire is to separate the fronts and isolate Hamas. From day two of the war, Hamas was counting on Hezbollah to fight by its side. With Hezbollah out of the picture, Hamas is left on its own. We will increase our pressure on Hamas and that will help us in our sacred mission of releasing our hostages."