Israel’s Netanyahu announces ceasefire deal in Lebanon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced he backs a ceasefire deal in Lebanon after he convened his "security cabinet" to discuss the proposal put forward by the United States and France.

The cabinet approved the ceasefire following two months of intensified attacks on Lebanon, Israeli Channel 12 reported.

The United States and France are expected to announce the ceasefire deal in a joint statement.

Lebanon's parliament will meet on Wednesday morning to discuss the agreement.

Speaking in a televised address on Tuesday, Netanyahu said the length of the ceasefire depended on Hezbollah. “We will maintain full freedom of movement… if Hezbollah moves rockets into position we will attack.”

“We will respond forcefully to any violation,” he added.

Netanyahu, however, said he would bring the full cabinet an outline of the ceasefire deal with Hezbollah for final approval.

He said the ceasefire agreement means that Israel can now focus on the “Iranian threat”, adding, “We are changing the face of the region.”

Netanyahu said the ceasefire will also allow the Israeli military to take a rest and to focus on the Gaza Strip and "intensify" pressure on Hamas.

Despite the announcement, hostilities raged as Israel dramatically ramped up its airstrikes in capital Beirut and other parts of Lebanon.

The Israeli military issued its biggest forced evacuation warning yet, telling civilians to leave 20 locations. Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said earlier the air force was conducting a “widespread attack” on targets across Beirut.

Hezbollah has previously said that a total end to Israeli aggression and protection of Lebanon’s sovereignty were its conditions for accepting any ceasefire deal.

The ceasefire agreement requires Israeli troops to withdraw from south Lebanon and Lebanon’s army to deploy in the region, officials said.

Lebanon's Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said the Lebanese army was prepared to deploy at least 5,000 troops in southern Lebanon as Israeli troops withdraw.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati called on the international community to work quickly to implement the ceasefire and end the Israeli aggression.

“The hysterical aggression this evening on Beirut confirms that the enemy does not value any law,” he said.

The Israeli regime initiated its full-scale war on Lebanon in late September when Netanyahu announced updated war objectives, emphasizing a determination to return hundreds of thousands of settlers to their homes in northern occupied Palestine.

Israeli military commanders pledged to eradicate Hezbollah and eliminate its presence in southern Lebanon. However, they were ultimately compelled to accept a ceasefire agreement without achieving any of those goals.

Far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said Tuesday the agreement between Israel and Lebanon does not achieve the goal of returning the settlers of the north to their homes safely.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid said Netanyahu's cabident was "dragged into an agreement with Hezbollah, currently the northern towns are destroyed, the lives of the residents have collapsed, and the army is exhausted."

[This item is being updated]

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