Smoke billows over Beirut’s southern suburbs, after Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Ashrafieh, Lebanon, November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
WASHINGTON- The United States will work with the Lebanese army to deter potential violations of a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, but there will not be U.S. combat troops in the area, a senior U.S. official told reporters on Tuesday.
The official called the ceasefire deal “a game-changer” that would show Hamas militants in Gaza that the conflict there and in Lebanon were delinked.
The ceasefire will take effect on Wednesday morning after both sides accepted an agreement brokered by the United States and France, U.S. President Joe Biden said earlier on Tuesday.
According to Lebanese media reports several displaced Lebanese were seen heading to South Lebanon early Wednesday .
Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee
But Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee called on ” the residents of southern Lebanon not to head towards the villages we asked to evacuate or towards our forces,” noting that “with the ceasefire agreement coming into effect and based on its provisions, the Israeli army will remain deployed in its positions inside southern Lebanon, and we will inform you of the safe date to return to your homes.”
Israeli PM Netanyahu told the heads of local authorities in northern Israel that “no one will return home until we see the other side’s commitment to the agreement”.
Right to self defense
US envoy Amos Hochstein who negotiated the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon pointed out that “it must be emphasized that the ceasefire is a permanent ceasefire that ends hostilities. We do not want to repeat what happened in 2006 when the war ended, and the agreement must be fully implemented,” stressing that “all the provisions and principles of Resolution 1701 must be implemented, with a monitoring mechanism that ensures this.”
He hoped that “through the agreement, we will end all the violence that this region has known for decades, and the ceasefire monitoring mechanism is now being established and is working to prevent any violations. We will not deploy US forces in Lebanon, but we will provide support to the Lebanese army.”
He stressed that “both the Lebanese and Israeli sides have the right to self-defense according to the ceasefire agreement and international law.”
NBN reported that Hochstein sent a written letter to Lebanon confirming that the ceasefire would go into effect at 4:00 AM, Lebanese time.
(Reuters)