US mediator Amos Hochstein was given by PM Netanyahu the green light to move ahead with the proposed truce with Hezbollah
Israel’s Kan broadcaster reported that Israel has in principle signed off on a US-backed ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon and Prime Minister Benjamin is now working on how to sell it to the public — assuming it is approved by the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.
The aim is to present the truce not as a “compromise” but as beneficial to Israel, Kan reported.
The ceasefire allows for Israel to retain the right to carry out military operations on the Lebanon-Syria border, the report adds.
According to Jerusalem post the ceasefire with Hezbollah and Lebanon will most likely include a phased 60-day withdrawal by the IDF from southern Lebanon, with no leftover security perimeter, a senior defense source said last Thursday.
Additional likely ceasefire terms included: a US side letter of guarantees to Israel and American supervision of UNIFIL, and empowering the Lebanese army to truly gain and maintain control of southern Lebanon from Hezbollah.
These terms would be in addition to Hezbollah’s acceptance of a withdrawal of its own forces to points north of the Litani River, and the US, France, and others committing to help guarantee that Hezbollah will be unable to resupply itself with rockets and other weapons from land, air, or sea.
Smoke billows over Khiam, amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as pictured from Marjayoun, near the border with Israel, Lebanon October 30, 2024.
(photo credit: REUTERS/KARAMALLAH DAHER)
Earlier today Netanyahu held high-level consultations on a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah.
The meeting came as Israel was hit by hundreds of rockets from Lebanon throughout the day and the Air Force carried out repeated strikes on Hezbollah sites in southern Beirut suburbs.
A resident walks past charred cars in Petah Tikva, Israel, near Tel Aviv, on Nov. 24, 2024, after rockets were fired from Lebanon.Menahem Kahana / AFP – Getty Images
The consultation was held with a few senior ministers and security officials, and, according to the Kan public broadcaster, focused on how Netanyahu should present the agreement to the Israeli public after giving US mediator Amos Hochstein a green light to move ahead with the proposal.