After months of clashes and thousands of deaths, Israel and Hezbollah agree on a ceasefire deal
On Tuesday (local time), Israel and Hezbollah reached a ceasefire agreement after months of fighting and hundreds of deaths.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, emphasized that the “length” of any truce would be contingent on “what happens in Lebanon.”
“We retain complete freedom of military action with the full knowledge of the United States. We will strike if Hezbollah breaks the deal and attempts to arm itself. We will strike if it attempts to reestablish terrorist infrastructure close to the border. Netanyahu said, “We will attack if it launches a rocket, digs a tunnel, or brings in a truck with rockets.”
He listed three justifications for the current truce.
“I won’t go into more detail, but the primary reason is to concentrate on the Iranian danger. The second is to refill supplies and give our troops a break. And I’ll be honest: there have been significant delays in the delivery of firearms and ammunition. These hold-ups will shortly be addressed.
We will get supplies of cutting-edge weapons that will protect our men and provide us with more striking power to finish our goal. Separating the fronts and isolating Hamas is the third justification for a truce. Hamas has been relying on Hezbollah to fight alongside them from day two of the conflict. Since Hezbollah is no longer involved, Hamas is left to fend for themselves. Our holy objective of freeing our captives will be aided by our increased pressure on Hamas.
Notably, Hezbollah launched an offensive on Israeli-controlled territory in support of Hamas and Palestinians in Gaza on October 8 of last year, sparking a protracted battle between Israel and Lebanon, according to CNN.
Following this incident, there were a number of border skirmishes that culminated in Israel’s mid-September military operation.
Israel has launched a ground assault into the battle, killing numerous Hezbollah officials, including Hassan Nasrallah, one of the group’s founders, and injuring hundreds more in an attack using exploding pagers. Despite continuous attempts to negotiate a truce, the situation is still unstable.
