Ceasefire in Lebanon to be announced by Biden, taking effect at 10 a.m. tomorrow - Yuval Barnea

by Yuval Barnea

The deal passed through the war and general cabinet before being fully approved.

 

French President Emmanuel Macron (left), US Special Envoy to the Middle East Amos Hochstein (center), and Lebanese PM Najib Mikati (illustrative).

(photo credit: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir, 3D Earth Photography from Getty Images via Canva Pro, REUTERS/Nathan Howard/Pool, REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool)

A ceasefire in Lebanon is expected to be announced by the United States and France at 10 p.m.

Presidents Biden and Macron will announce the deal during the night, with the alleged agreement set to take effect at 10 a.m. tomorrow.

This comes after several days of strained last-minute negotiation, in which Israel pushed for the removal of France as guarantor of the security situation in Lebanon, citing current diplomatic tensions between France and Israel.

The deal passed through the war and general cabinet before being fully approved. Netanyahu is also ran the ceasefire past by the heads of the local authorities in the North, may of which responded with anger at being told the deal would not lead to an immediate return to their homes.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Gaza, November 19, 2024. (credit: MAAYAN TOAF/GPO)

Members of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee demanded Defense Minister Israel Katz present the ceasefire agreement to them before final approval.

What's on the table?

An Israeli official told Maariv that the ceasefire was not the end of the war and that Israel maintained its right to respond to any threat.

The source also said that the severing of the connection between the Gazan and Lebanese fronts would leave Hamas isolated, something also highlighted by Netanyahu in his speech.

Sources told Saudi channel Al Hadath that there would be no buffer zone in South Lebanon according to the agreement.

Hassan Fadlallah, a Hezbollah MP, told Reuters in response to the announcement that Hezbollah would remain active, including in providing social services to displaced Lebanese civilians.

Fadlallah called the final hours before the ceasefire "dangerous, sensitive hours," given that the IDF launched a large-scale attack on Beirut earlier on Tuesday.

MK Zvi Sukkot, Otzmah Yehudit, said he would support a ceasefire as the IDF had managed to remove 80% of the leading figures in Hezbollah, reversing his previous opposition.

Several other right-wing figures have come out either conditionally approving or rejecting the ceasefire, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Naftali Bennett.

Yuval Barnea

Source: https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-830838

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