Israel’s security cabinet has voted to approve a ceasefire deal in Lebanon, an Israeli official told CNN, potentially ending more than a year of cross-border clashes with Hezbollah and months of war that has killed thousands.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier announced that he would recommend to his government the adoption of a US-brokered ceasefire agreement with Lebanon’s Hezbollah, as Israeli warplanes attacked Lebanon, killing at least 23 people.
Israel’s military also issued a slew of evacuation warnings – a sign it intended to punish Hezbollah until the final moments before the truce took effect.
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For the first time in the conflict, Israeli ground troops reached parts of Lebanon’s Litani River, the focal point of the nascent deal.
In a televised statement, Netanyahu said he would present a ceasefire to cabinet ministers later Tuesday local time (Wednesday morning AEDT), setting the stage for an end to nearly 14 months of fighting.
He cited a series of achievements against Israel’s enemies across the region in recent months. He said a ceasefire with Hezbollah would further isolate Hamas in Gaza and allow Israel to focus on Iran – Hezbollah’s backer and Israel’s biggest threat in the region.
He promised to hit Hezbollah hard if it violated the agreement.
“If Hezbollah violates the agreement and tries to rearm, we will attack,” he said.
“For every offense, we will attack hard.”
It was not immediately clear when the ceasefire would take effect, and the exact terms of the deal were not released.
The deal does not affect Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, which shows no signs of ending.
Evacuation warnings covered many areas, including parts of Beirut that had not previously been targeted.
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The warnings, along with fears that Israel was stepping up attacks ahead of the ceasefire, sent residents fleeing.
Traffic was blocked, and mattresses were tied to some cars. Dozens of people, some in pajamas, gathered in the central square, huddled under blankets or standing around a fire as Israeli drones buzzed loudly overhead.
Hezbollah, meanwhile, continued its rocket fire, activating air raid sirens across northern Israel.
Lebanese officials said Hezbollah also supports the deal. If approved by all parties, the deal would be a major step toward ending the war between Israel and Hezbollah that has inflamed tensions across the region and fueled fears of an even wider conflict between Israel and Hezbollah’s patron, Iran.
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The deal calls for an initial two-month ceasefire and would require Hezbollah to end its armed presence in a wide swath of southern Lebanon while Israeli troops return to their side of the border.
Thousands of Lebanese soldiers and UN peacekeepers will be deployed in the south, and a US-led international commission will monitor compliance by all parties.
But implementation remains a big question mark. Israel has claimed the right to act if Hezbollah breaks its commitments.
Lebanese officials refused to write it into the proposal. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz insisted on Tuesday that the military would attack Hezbollah if the UN peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL, did not ensure “effective implementation” of the agreement.
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“If you don’t act, we will act, and with great force,” Katz said, speaking to UN special envoy Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert.
The European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said Tuesday that Israel’s security concerns were addressed in the deal, which was also brokered by France.
“There is no excuse for not implementing a ceasefire. Otherwise Lebanon will fall apart,” Borrell told reporters in Italy on the sidelines of a Group of Seven meeting.
He said France would participate in the ceasefire implementation committee at Lebanon’s request.
More to come.