Israel is close to implementing a ceasefire in Lebanon, where the country has been waging a campaign against the political and militant group Hezbollah, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Tuesday.
Netanyahu made the remarks in a televised address following a meeting with his security cabinet. The ceasefire deal is almost ready, with only final approval from the government needed, he revealed. He did not provide any timeframe, stating only that “the duration of the ceasefire depends on what takes place in Lebanon.”
“With the full understanding with the US, we are maintaining full freedom of action” against Hezbollah, Netanyahu warned, promising to respond “with force” to every potential violation of the ceasefire.
“If Hezbollah violates the agreement and tries to rearm, we will attack,” he stressed. “If it tries to rebuild the terror infrastructure near the border, we will attack. If it fires a rocket, if it digs a tunnel, if it brings in a truck with missiles, we will attack.”
Later in the day, US President Joe Biden confirmed the deal has been brokered by Washington and designed “to end the devastating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.”
“At 4am tomorrow local time, the fighting across the Lebanese-Israeli border will end. This is designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities,” Biden said as he spoke from the White House Rose Garden.
Israel had been waging a low-intensity campaign against Hezbollah for months before September, when it sabotaged thousands of the group’s communication devices and launched a major bombing campaign in Lebanon, followed by a ground operation.
Netanyahu lauded the operation as a success, stating Hezbollah has become significantly weaker since the start of the hostilities, with “years of terror infrastructure” destroyed, as well as thousands of fighters and most of its leaders killed.