Israel And Hezbollah Agreed To A 60-Day Pause In Fighting But Netanyahu Said Israel Is Ready To Attack
The deal includes Israeli forces’ withdrawing from Lebanon for an initial period of 60 days, while Hezbollah is expected to withdraw its forces approximately 40 kilometers from the Israeli border.
After three months of Israel’s relentless attacks on Lebanon and over a year of cross-border clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, the two sides have finally agreed on a 60-day humanitarian pause that is designed to become a permanent ceasefire.
The humanitarian pause, brokered by the US and France, took effect at 4 am local time in Lebanon on Wednesday, Nov. 27.
The deal includes Israeli forces’ withdrawing from Lebanon for an initial period of 60 days, while Hezbollah is expected to withdraw its forces approximately 40 kilometers from the Israeli border.
Lebanon’s military will take control of territory in the south of the country to ensure Hezbollah does not rebuild forces.
Lebanese forces, United Nations peacekeepers, UNIFIL, and an international committee led by the US will monitor the ceasefire to ensure both sides comply.
Despite the humanitarian pause taking effect, an Israeli official said on X that Israeli forces fired at vehicles trying to return to south Lebanon, forcing them to stay displaced from their homes.
He added that Israel is on alert to operate throughout Lebanon and ready to attack at any time if the ceasefire is violated.
Israel has also instructed people in Lebanon not to return to places they were ordered to evacuate from prior to the ceasefire.
This is the deadliest war in Lebanon since the civil war ended in 1990.
Israel’s attacks on Lebanon have killed at least 3,800 people since October 2023 and displaced more than 1.2 million people.
Prior to the halt in hostilities, Israeli forces conducted extensive airstrikes across Lebanon, including in Beirut, indicating a strategy of inflicting damage on Hezbollah right until the ceasefire commenced.
Hezbollah officials has agreed to the temporary halt of hostilities but highlighted the need for Israel to end it saggression without compromising Lebanon's sovereignty.
Hezbollah has made it clear that if Israel resumes its attacks, it will reassess its commitment to the ceasefire.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the duration of the humanitarian pause would depend on Hezbollah's actions in Lebanon and that Israel would maintain "complete military freedom of action" and retaliate against any attempts by Hezbollah to rearm or reconstruct military infrastructure near the border.
“If Hezbollah breaches the agreement and tries to arm itself, we will attack,” he said.
Experts said that the agreement will likely last beyond the initial 60 days and may even help reach a breakthrough in Gaza’s ceasefire negotiations.
However, others noted that the agreement does not automatically extend beyond the initial 60 days unless there are further negotiations.
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