Middle East: Biden announces Israel-Hezbollah truce

Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati called the truce "an essential step towards spreading calm and stability."

He made the remarks in a statement issued after US President Joe Biden announced the truce deal.

Mikati said Lebanon was committed to implementing UN resolution 1701, on which the cease-fire deal is based. 

He also reiterated his government's promise to "strengthen the army's presence in the south." 

The Lebanese Cabinet, which includes members of Hezbollah's political wing, will reportedly meet on Wednesday to formally approve it.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the cease-fire in Lebanon should "open the path" for ending the war in Gaza.

The US and France brokered the deal in Lebanon.

"This agreement should open the path for a cease-fire too long awaited with regards to the incomparable suffering of the population in Gaza," Macron said in a video posted on social media.

He added that it "shows that only political courage can provide everyone in the Middle East long-term peace and stability."

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock welcomed the cease-fire agreement hailing it as "a ray of hope for the entire region."

"People on both sides of the border want to live in genuine and lasting security," Baerbock said in a statement, 

She added a cease-fire in Gaza was urgently needed to secure the release of hostages and end the suffering there.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the cease-fire agreement.

She described it as "encouraging news" for Lebanon and Israelis. 

"Lebanon will have an opportunity to increase internal security and stability thanks to Hezbollah's reduced influence," she wrote on social media. 

US President Joe Biden announced that a cease-fire has been reached between Israel and Hezbollah militants.

He said fighting across the border will end at 4 a.m. Lebanon time (2 a.m. GMT).

Biden said the 60-day deal, if fully implemented, is "designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities."

The US and France brokered the truce that aims to end to the fighting triggered by Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.  Hezbollah and Hamas are both backed by Iran. 

Biden spoke after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accepted the truce. 

"The length of the cease-fire will depend on what happens in Lebanon," Netanyahu said. 

The Lebanese Cabinet, that includes members of Hezbollah's political wing, will reportedly meet on Wednesday to formally approve it.

Biden also said the US will make another push "in coming days" to achieve a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

The Times of Israel reports a snap poll by Israel's Channel 12 indicates that Israelis are split on the proposed cease-fire with Hezbollah. 

When asked about their stance on the arrangement, 37% expressed support, 32% opposed it, and 31% were undecided.

The poll further reveals a stark contrast in opinions among political lines.

Among supporters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition, only 20% back the deal, while 45% oppose it and 35% remain uncertain. 

In contrast, 50% of opposition voters support the cease-fire agreement.

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he opposed the cease-fire deal with Hezbollah, describing it as a "historic mistake."

The agreement does not ensure the return of Israelis to their homes in the country's north, he said on social media.

"In order to leave Lebanon, we must have our own security belt," Ben-Gvir added. 

The comments come after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was ready to implement the deal and would present it to his full Cabinet later in the evening.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that a cease-fire in Lebanon is unlikely to facilitate a truce or hostage-release agreement in Gaza, where Israeli forces continue their war with Hamas.

Speaking after Israel's security cabinet approved a cease-fire deal with Hezbollah, Netanyahu said the truce would allow Israel to "intensify" pressure on Hamas and focus on the "Iranian threat."

"When Hezbollah is out of the picture, Hamas is left alone in the fight. Our pressure on it will intensify," Netanyahu said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is asking Israel's cabinet to approve a cease-fire deal to stop fighting against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

He made the announcement on Tuesday after meeting with his security cabinet. 

It could end the current fighting that has dragged on for over a year and intensified in September.

It led to thousands of deaths in Lebanon and nearly 100 Israeli civilians and soldiers killed.

Nearly 60,000 people in Israel and 1 million in Lebanon have had to flee their homes.

Netanyahu said a Lebanon truce will allow Israel to "focus on Iranian threat" but warned tough action will be taken against Hezbollah in the event of violations. 

Iran-backed Hezbollah, considered a terror group by some countries, including the US and Germany, began attacking Israel on October 8, 2023, a day after the Hamas-led terror attack on southern Israel.

Israel stepped up its bombing campaign in September and mounted a ground operation. 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said efforts to secure a cease-fire between Israel and the Lebanese militant group
Hezbollah were "in the final stages."

"We are tracking this very closely. I hope and believe we can get this over the finish line," he said at a G7 foreign ministers meeting in Italy.

Blinken said he hoped that "by de-escalating tensions in the region, it can also help us to end the conflict in Gaza."

Israeli warplanes have hit Beirut's southern suburbs with a wave of airstrikes just before Israel's cabinet was set to discuss a ceasefire deal with Iran-backed Hezbollah.

A senior Israeli official and Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib appeared optimistic a deal could be reached. 

But despite the possibility of an imminent diplomatic breakthrough, hostilities were still raging on Tuesday.

Israeli strikes hit parts of Beirut's densely-populated southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold. The Israeli military said one barrage of strikes had hit 20 targets in the city in just 120 seconds.

Israel had issued its biggest evacuation warning yet, ordering civilians to leave 20 locations.
Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said his country's air force was conducting a "widespread attack" on Hezbollah targets across the city.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah has kept up rocket fire into Israel.

Hezbollah is considered a terrorist organization by the US, Germany and several Sunni Arab countries, while the EU lists its armed wing as a terrorist group.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has said that — after more than a year of violence — a ceasefire between Israel and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon is "within reach."

At the meeting of the G7 foreign ministers in Italy, Baerbock spoke of progress towards a political solution, crediting the direct mediation of the United States and France.

The German government had worked intensively on this with "closely coordinated shuttle diplomacy."

"We are at a critical moment right now — perhaps a moment that also gives us hope," said Baerbock at the meeting, which is being held in the small town of Fiuggi in central Italy. 

The minister added: "Giving up, despite setbacks, is simply not an option." 

The United Nations human rights chief has voiced concern about the escalation of hostilities in Lebanon, where his office said nearly 100 people had been reported killed by Israeli airstrikes in recent days. 

While Israel has been locked in fighting with Lebanese armed group Hezbollah since October last year, fighting has escalated dramatically in recent months.

"UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk is gravely concerned by the escalation in Lebanon with at least 97 people reportedly killed in Israeli airstrikes between the 22nd and 24th of November," Jeremy Laurence, a spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, told a Geneva press briefing.

The comments come as Israel's security Cabinet prepares to meet on Tuesday afternoon to discuss a proposed cease-fire deal in its war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel says the country's security Cabinet is set to meet later in the day to discuss a cease-fire deal. 

However, she declined "to go into details about it because of the sensitivity of the issue."

Haskel also gave no exact time for the meeting. "There needs to be a decision, a discussion," she said. "There might be a vote as well." 

She added: "The members of the Cabinet know some of the details and are going to go into more details this afternoon."

An anonymous Israeli official previously said the security Cabinet would make its decision on Tuesday evening.

A senior Israeli official and Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib appeared optimistic that a deal could be agreed on.

An agreement between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon could clear the way for an end to the conflict that has killed thousands since last year's October 7 attacks and Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza and subsequent air strikes and ground operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has told the UN's Lebanon envoy that any breach of a cease-fire deal that the security Cabinet is set to vote on would result in Israel acting directly.

"If you do not act, we will do it, forcefully," Katz told envoy Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert when meeting her in Tel Aviv.

Katz added that Israel would have "zero tolerance" when defending its security interests in the future, according to a statement from his office.

"Any house rebuilt in south Lebanon and used as a terrorist base will be destroyed, any rearming or terrorist organization will be attacked, any attempt at transferring arms will be foiled, and any threat against our forces or our citizens will be immediately eliminated," said Katz in the statement.