Israel has agreed to a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah terrorists, ending nearly 14 months of fighting, President Biden announced Tuesday.
Biden, speaking from the White House Rose Garden, said Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a deal. Biden said Israel would retain the right to self-defense even if Hezbollah broke the agreement.
“Let me be clear: Israel did not start this war. The Lebanese people did not ask for it. Neither did the United States,” Biden said. “The security of the Israeli and Lebanese people cannot only be achieved on the battlefield. That is why I am directing my team to work with the Israeli and Lebanese governments to reach a ceasefire and resolve the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. “I did.” It's close. ”
“This is about a permanent cessation of hostilities,” Biden added. “The legacy of Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations cannot be tolerated. I want to emphasize that we cannot allow them to threaten Israel's security again.”
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Israeli Defense Forces commanders in Gaza's Netzarim Corridor to discuss Hamas activities. November 19, 2024 (Photo provided by: TPS)
In a joint statement prepared with Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron, the two leaders said the ceasefire would restore calm and allow residents of both countries to return to their homes on both sides of the Blue Line, the border between Israel and Lebanon. said it would be possible.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Biden and expressed gratitude for the U.S. commitment to achieving a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon and for understanding that Israel maintains freedom of action in its implementation, he said. 's office announced.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet convened early Tuesday, and ministers discussed the proposed deal for more than three hours. Netanyahu's office said his political and security cabinet approved the U.S. proposal for a cease-fire agreement in Lebanon, with 10 ministers in favor and one opposed.
At a press conference as talks were underway, Prime Minister Netanyahu gave three reasons for supporting the deal. Provide an opportunity to refresh the Israeli army. and separating Hamas from the Northern Front.
The conflict in Lebanon began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, followed by Iran-backed Hezbollah launching attacks into northern Israel. Since the back-and-forth battle began, Israel has killed many Hezbollah leaders, as well as Hezbollah leaders. It is degrading Lebanon's infrastructure.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said ending the conflict with Hezbollah would isolate Hamas in the Gaza Strip and pave the way for Israeli forces to retrieve the remaining October 7 hostages.
President Joe Biden speaks in the White House Rose Garden on Tuesday, November 26, 2024 in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Seneta))
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier said he would submit the draft agreement to the Cabinet for a vote later on Tuesday.
“How long it will take depends on what happens in Lebanon,” Netanyahu said. “If Hezbollah does not abide by the agreement, we will attack.”
Under the proposed terms of an initial two-month ceasefire, Hezbollah would have to move its forces north of the Litani River (an important stronghold 32 miles from the Israeli border in some places) and Israeli forces would have to withdraw. Must also be from southern Lebanon. Lebanese troops are expected to deploy to border areas within 60 days, and a five-nation committee chaired by the United States, including France, will monitor compliance with the terms of the agreement, Reuters reported.
On Tuesday night, around the time the deal was accepted, rocket alarms began to sound across Israel.
“Israel: We accept your request for a ceasefire. Hezbollah: We will raise a barrage of missiles,” former Israeli spokesman Eilon Levy wrote in X.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) supported Israel in a statement but criticized former President Barack Obama and the Biden administration for their handling of the conflict.
Mr. Cruz said, “There are reports that Obama and Biden officials have put tremendous pressure on our ally Israel to accept this ceasefire, and how those officials have characterized Israel's obligations.'' I'm very upset about both.” “This pressure and these statements are further efforts to weaken Israel and constrain the incoming Trump administration.”
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Among the remaining issues was Israel's request to reserve the right to take military action if Hezbollah violates its obligations under the new agreement.
Smoke rises from Israeli military shelling in southern Lebanon, seen from northern Israel, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
“Obama-Biden officials have threatened to withhold weapons from Israel's allies needed to defend their country and counter Hezbollah, and to promote a broader and binding international arms embargo through the United Nations. “We put pressure on them to accept it,” he added. “Obama-Biden officials are already planning to use Israel's acceptance of this ceasefire to ensure that Hezbollah and other Iranian terrorist groups remain intact throughout Lebanon, and to plan for Israel's future actions and self-defense.” trying to restrict their freedom.”
Republicans have criticized the Biden administration for reining in Israel while repelling attacks from neighboring terrorists.
In addition to the ceasefire, peacekeeping missions by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon's observer mission will also continue, according to Israeli news agency Tazpit News Agency (TPS-IL).
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced early Tuesday that ground forces had reached a part of Lebanon's Litani River, long considered a Hezbollah stronghold.
The IDF said in a statement that its forces had reached the Wadi Surki area in southern Lebanon and “stormed Hezbollah strongholds, discovered and seized hundreds of weapons, dismantled dozens of underground facilities, and prepared them for imminent use.” “We neutralized a large number of rocket launchers that had been prepared.”
The Israel Defense Forces said the clash with Hezbollah occurred at the eastern end of the Litani River, just a few miles from the border. This is one of the deepest points Israeli forces have reached during nearly two months of ground operations.
The Israeli military said its forces “conducted intelligence operations based on terrorist infrastructure hidden in complex terrain.”
Israeli soldiers on the Litani River in southern Lebanon, Tuesday, November 26, 2024. (IDF Spokesperson/TPS-IL)
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The Israel Defense Forces said: “Soldiers raided several terrorist targets, engaged in close combat with terrorists, and discovered dozens of launch pads, thousands of rockets and missiles, and weapons storage facilities hidden on mountainsides. It was destroyed,” he said.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York praised the deal, saying it would allow Israelis displaced in the north to return to their homes and ensure Israel's security against Hezbollah.
“As this agreement shows, defeating terrorists both militarily and with persistent diplomacy increases the chances of peace. Hezbollah has said it will never give up as long as there is fighting in Gaza, but today's ceasefire agreement We must show Hamas that we are one and the same, as isolated as ever,” Schumer said in a statement. “Hamas must now release all remaining hostages and reach a negotiated ceasefire. Continuing with its failed strategy will only lead to further suffering and senseless bloodshed in Gaza. We must recognize that there is no future without a strong and secure State of Israel.”
“The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah ensures the weakening of Hezbollah and also provides an enforcement mechanism that allows displaced Lebanese and Israeli civilians to return to their homelands,” he added. “I applaud the Biden administration for this agreement and its continued efforts to negotiate a ceasefire and return all Gaza hostages.”
Hezbollah launches attacks on Israel on October 8, 2023, a day after Hamas terrorists from southern Israel to Gaza killed more than 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages, starting more than a year of fighting. did. The situation further escalated in September with massive Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon and an Israeli ground invasion of the southern part of the country. Hezbollah fired thousands of rockets, including about 250 projectiles, at Israeli military bases, cities and towns on Sunday.
More than 68,000 Israelis have been forced from their homes along the Lebanese border, TPS-IL reports.
A Middle East Airlines plane flies through plumes of smoke after an Israeli airstrike in Dahieh, Beirut, Tuesday, November 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussain)
An Israeli military attack on Tuesday destroyed a residential building in the Basta area of central Beirut. It is the second time in recent days that a military plane has crashed into a crowded area near the city's downtown.
The Israeli military also issued a warning to 20 more buildings in Beirut's Hezbollah-controlled suburbs to evacuate before they are similarly attacked. This was a measure taken at the last moment before a ceasefire took hold.
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On the sidelines of the Group of Seven meeting in Italy, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Tuesday that there was no “excuse” for Israel to refuse a ceasefire with Hezbollah, adding that without a ceasefire “Lebanon would There will be war,” he warned. Fall apart. ”
The Times of Israel reported Defense Minister Israel Katz spoke Tuesday with UN Special Envoy to Lebanon Jeanine Hennis Plasschaert, during which he said Jerusalem has “zero tolerance” for any ceasefire violations, adding: “If you don't do that, we will… '' he warned. …and with great force. ”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
