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Israel security cabinet to meet to discuss Lebanon ceasefire deal Israel security cabinet set to approve Hezbollah ceasefire deal - reports
(about 3 hours later)
Lebanese Army troops, seen here at the site of an Israeli strike in central Beirut, will have a key role in the ceasefire dealLebanese Army troops, seen here at the site of an Israeli strike in central Beirut, will have a key role in the ceasefire deal
The Israeli security cabinet will meet to discuss approval of a ceasefire to temporarily end hostilities with the Lebanese militia Hezbollah. Israel’s security cabinet is set to approve a US plan for a ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon when it meets on Tuesday afternoon, Israeli media report.
The proposed truce would be for an initial period of 60 days and include the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, according to media reports. US and Lebanese officials have expressed optimism that a deal is possible to end over a year of conflict that intensified in September, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly agreed to its terms in principle.
In return, Hezbollah would end its presence south of the Litani River, about 30km (18 miles) north of the international border, and be replaced by Lebanese Army troops. The proposal includes a 60-day ceasefire that will see the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon and the removal of Hezbollah fighters and weapons from south of the Litani River.
Even as diplomats suggested on Monday that a deal was close, fierce fighting continued, with Lebanese authorities reporting at least 31 killed in Israeli air strikes and Hezbollah firing barrages of rockets at Israel. Thousands of troops from the Lebanese Army will be deployed, and an international committee will monitor the implementation of the ceasefire.
Ministers are expected to vote on the deal during the meeting on Tuesday, according to Haaretz. Reuters news agency cited a senior Israeli official as saying the meeting was intended to approve the agreement's text. On Tuesday, the Israeli military carried out new air strikes in the southern suburbs of Beirut and Hezbollah fired rocket barrages into northern Israel.
The news agency also reported four senior Lebanese sources as saying the US and France - a long-term ally of Lebanon - were expected to announce a ceasefire imminently.
According to Israel's Channel 12, the possible deal includes: Israel carried out new air strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs as the country’s security cabinet prepared to meet
A mutual ceasefire The details of the proposed agreement are unclear, but it is understood to be based on the terms of UN Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.
An IDF presence in Lebanon for up to 60 days The resolution requires, among other things, Hezbollah to remove its fighters and weapons from the area between the Blue Line – the unofficial border between Lebanon and Israel – and the Litani river, about 30km (20 miles) to the north. Israel says that was never implemented, while Lebanon says Israel’s violations included military flights over its territory.
The Lebanese Army replacing the IDF as it withdraws During the current US-led talks, according to a Western diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity, it has been made clear to the Lebanese authorities that the post-2006 situation, in which Hezbollah was allowed to build extensive infrastructure along the border, will not be repeated.
No Israeli-occupied buffer zone in southern Lebanon So one of the key points seems to be the implementation of the deal. The US will lead a five-country monitoring committee, while the UN peacekeeping force in the south of Lebanon (Unifil) will be reinforced.
The US heading the five-country committee set up to monitor implementation of the ceasefire During the 60-day ceasefire, the Lebanese Army is expected to deploy 5,000 troops to the south, although questions remained about their role in enforcing any agreement, and whether they would confront Hezbollah if needed, which has the potential to exacerbate tensions in a country where sectarian divisions run deep.
The Lebanese government overseeing arms purchases and production in the country The army has also said it does not have the resources - money, manpower and equipment - to fulfil its obligations under the deal, which will probably be alleviated by contributions from some of Lebanon’s international allies.
In addition, the US would issue a letter recognising Israel's right to attack Lebanon if Hezbollah is perceived to be in violation of the agreement. But there had been an acceptance by Lebanese authorities that things had to change, the diplomat added, and there was the political will to do so.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is said to have agreed to the deal "in principle". The Lebanese deputy speaker of parliament, Elias Bou Saab, told Reuters that there were now "no serious obstacles" to a ceasefire "unless Netanyahu changes his mind". Media reports suggest the US will issue a letter supporting Israel’s right to act in Lebanon if Hezbollah is perceived as being in violation of the deal.
The French presidency said on Monday evening negotiations had "significantly advanced" and urged Israel and Hezbollah to "quickly seize this opportunity". This Israeli demand has been rejected by Lebanon, where it is seen as a violation of the country’s sovereignty. It has not been included in the proposal deal, and will probably be made public later.
"We believe we've reached this point where we're close," US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. But he added: "We're not there yet." In the past few days, Israeli authorities have repeatedly said that, with or without this guarantee, they reserved the right to attack Lebanon if there was any threat coming from Hezbollah, as they already do in Syria.
But Israel's far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, spoke out against a ceasefire. "We believe we've reached this point where we're close," US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Monday. But he added: "We're not there yet."
He said Israel should press on with the war until "absolute victory", and, addressing Netanyahu on X, said: "It is not too late to stop this agreement!" The French presidency also said that negotiations had "significantly advanced" and urged Israel and Hezbollah to "quickly seize this opportunity".
Lebanese authorities have said any ceasefire deal should be limited to the terms of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel. The Lebanese deputy speaker of parliament, Elias Bou Saab, said there were "no serious obstacles" to a ceasefire "unless Netanyahu changes his mind".
The resolution includes the withdrawal of Hezbollah’s fighters and weapons in areas between the Blue Line - the unofficial frontier between Lebanon and Israel - and the Litani river, about 30km (18 miles) from the boundary with Israel. A Lebanese source told the BBC that Hezbollah and Iran, the group’s main supporter, had said in private that they were interested in ceasefire deal.
Israel says that was never fully respected, while Lebanon says Israeli violations included military flights over Lebanese territory. In a televised speech last week, Hezbollah’s new leader Naim Qassem appeared to give his green light to the US-drafted proposal.
Though negotiations between Israel and Hezbollah appeared to be bearing fruit, parallel talks to end the war in Gaza have been deadlocked for months. This month, Qatar withdrew from its role as a mediator between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group Israel is fighting in Gaza. Meanwhile, there is not full support for the plan in Israel. Many of the tens of thousands of citizens displaced by over a year of fighting with Hezbollah, say it won’t make them feel safe enough to return home, and Israel’s far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has said the war should continue until there is “absolute victory.”
The war in Lebanon began on 8 October last year when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel in support of the deadly Hamas attack a day earlier. The northern Israeli town of Nahariya came under rocket fire overnight
Israel’s stated goal is to allow the return of about 60,000 residents who have been displaced from communities in northern Israel because of Hezbollah attacks. Israel went on the offensive against Hezbollah - which it proscribes as a terrorist organisation - after almost a year of cross-border fighting sparked by the war in Gaza.
In September, Israel launched a major escalation of the war against the militia, destroying much of its infrastructure and weapons, and killing its leader Hassan Nasrallah and other senior figures. It says it wants to ensure the safe return of about 60,000 residents of northern Israeli areas displaced by rocket attacks, which Hezbollah launched in support of Palestinians the day after its ally Hamas’s deadly attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.
In Lebanon, more than 3,750 people have been killed and at least 15,600 injured since October 2023, according to Lebanese authorities, with more than one million forced from their homes. The war has been devastating for Lebanon, where more than 3,700 people have been killed since the start of the hostilities and one million residents have been displaced in areas where Hezbollah holds sway.
The World Bank’s estimate is of $8.5bn (£6.8bn) in economic losses and damage. Recovery will take time, and no-one seems to know who will pay for it.
Hezbollah, too, has been devastated. Many of its leaders have been killed, including long-time chief Hassan Nasrallah, while its infrastructure has been heavily damaged.
How it will look like after the war remains unclear. The group has been severely weakened, some would say humiliated, but it has not been destroyed.
In Lebanon, it is more than a militia: it is a political party with representation in parliament, and a social organisation, with significant support among Shia Muslims.
Hezbollah’s opponents will probably see it as an opportunity to limit its influence - it was often described as “a state within a state” in Lebanon before the conflict - and many fear this could lead to internal violence.