in-cyprus 27 November 2024
A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into force at 04:00 local time on Wednesday, marking a potential end to nearly 14 months of hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon.
The agreement, unveiled on Tuesday evening by Israel, France and the United States, aims to establish what US President Joe Biden described as a “permanent cessation of hostilities”.
Both sides continued military operations until moments before the ceasefire deadline, with Israel conducting strikes near Beirut and Hezbollah launching drones into Israeli territory.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) cautioned southern Lebanese residents against returning to evacuated villages immediately after the ceasefire began.
Despite the warning, Reuters journalists observed dozens of vehicles heading southward, many loaded with personal belongings.
The US-brokered deal stipulates that Israel will gradually withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon over 60 days, whilst Hezbollah fighters and weaponry will be removed from areas south of the Litani River – a boundary established following the 2006 conflict. Lebanese government forces are set to replace them.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati welcomed the agreement but demanded Israel’s full compliance, including withdrawal from occupied positions and adherence to UN resolutions.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of swift retaliation should Hezbollah breach the agreement.
“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”, he said.
The conflict, which erupted after Hezbollah began launching rockets into Israel following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, has been Lebanon’s deadliest in decades.
Local officials report more than 3,823 casualties and 15,859 wounded, with one million residents displaced in Hezbollah-controlled areas.
Israeli authorities report at least 75 deaths from Hezbollah attacks on Israel and the occupied Golan Heights, with civilians accounting for more than half the casualties. More than 50 Israeli soldiers have been killed in combat in southern Lebanon.
US officials express hope that this ceasefire might facilitate progress in separate negotiations to end the ongoing conflict in Gaza, though they clarified that no American troops would be deployed to enforce the current agreement.
(information from BBC)
