Israel and Lebanon have signed a ceasefire agreement after more than 13 months of conflict. According to the deal, Hezbollah troops will move north of the Litani River and Israeli troops will withdraw from south Lebanon.
The Israeli Cabinet voted Tuesday to approve the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah, which will take effect on Wednesday at 10 a.m.
Speaking on Israeli TV, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel retains freedom of movement to attack the Iran-backed Shia militant group if it violates the ceasefire.
Netanyahu said, “If Hezbollah violates the agreement and tries to rearm, we will attack. If it tries to rebuild terror infrastructure near the border, we will attack.”
The prime minister said Israel has set Hezbollah back decades by assassinating leader Hassan Nasrallah as well as thousands of other Hezbollah fighters and destroying much of Hezbollah’s attack capability.
According to the terms of the ceasefire, Hezbollah will move its soldiers north of the Litani River as called for by U.N. Resolution 1701. Israeli troops will gradually withdraw from south Lebanon, and acting Lebanese Prime Minister Nagib Mikati said 5,000 Lebanese soldiers will be deployed there.
Netanyahu said the ceasefire will enable more than 60,000 residents who have been displaced from their homes in northern Israel to return. More than a million Lebanese have also been displaced on the other side of the border. But some are skeptical that the ceasefire will really mean the end to Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel.
Middle East expert Eitan Shamir of Bar Ilan University said Israel has achieved its objectives in the fight against Hezbollah.
“We are at a point of diminishing returns,” Shamir said. “A lot of effort, getting some casualties, we will probably get more casualties if we continue. On the other hand, most of the damage has already been done to Hezbollah. The idea from the get-go was not to completely destroy Hezbollah and getting it to a situation where it has to surrender. From the minute this campaign was launched, there was an understanding that Hezbollah will continue to be a serious actor in Lebanon.”
The big question is how the ceasefire deal in Lebanon will affect the fighting in Gaza.
Netanyahu said that Israel will continue to fight in Gaza until Hamas is annihilated and all remaining hostages, living and dead, are returned.
