Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet has approved a US plan for a ceasefire with Hezbollah, marking a breakthrough in the devastating conflict that has gripped the Middle East. Netanyahu’s office said the plan was approved by a 10-1 margin.
The late-night vote came shortly before US president Joe Biden was expected to announce details of the deal in Washington. The United States has informed the Lebanese government that the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel will take effect at 4am (2am GMT) on Wednesday, two senior Lebanese officials said.
The office of the Israeli prime minister issued a statement that read: “The Security Cabinet, this evening, in a 10-1 vote, approved the US proposal for a ceasefire arrangement in Lebanon. Israel appreciates the US contribution to the process, and maintains its right to act against any threat to its security.
“Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this evening, spoke to US president Joe Biden and thanked him for the US involvement in achieving the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon and for the understanding that Israel maintains freedom of action in enforcing it.”
Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, welcomed the deal to end hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, according to a statement issued by his office. The statement said Mr Mikati had spoken with President Biden.
The US president and French president Emmanuel Macron issued a joint statement in which they said that the deal will provide the conditions needed for a return to calm in the country, and that France and the United States would both work to ensure that the ceasefire is fully implemented.
Earlier, Netanyahu defended the plan for a ceasefire, saying Israel had inflicted heavy damage on Hezbollah and could now focus its efforts on Hamas militants in Gaza along with his top security concern, Iran. Netanyahu vowed to strike Hezbollah hard if it violates the expected deal.
Hezbollah has said it accepts the proposal, but a senior official from the group said on Tuesday that it had not seen the agreement in its final form.
“After reviewing the agreement signed by the enemy government, we will see if there is a match between what we stated and what was agreed upon by the Lebanese officials,” said Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chair of Hezbollah’s political council. “We want an end to the aggression, of course, but not at the expense of the sovereignty of the state [of Lebanon],” he said. “Any violation of sovereignty is refused.”
The agreement comes as Israel launched its most intense wave of attacks yet on the bustling centre of Beirut, and as it issued a record number of evacuation orders.
For more than a year, near-daily rocket fire, ferocious airstrikes, and on-the-ground battles between Israeli forces and the militant group have claimed the lives of thousands of people in Lebanon.
In a televised speech earlier on Tuesday, the Israeli prime minister said he had recommended the deal to his war cabinet.
“This evening I will bring a ceasefire outline for the cabinet’s approval. The length of the ceasefire depends on what happens in Lebanon,” Netanyahu said, adding that if Hezbollah violates the agreement, tries to arm itself, or rebuilds its infrastructure, “we will attack”.
“A year later, it is not the same Hezbollah. We have pushed them back decades. We eliminated [Hezbollah chief Hassan] Nasrallah, the axis of the axis. We have taken out the organisation’s top leadership, we have destroyed most of their rockets and missiles… infrastructure they had been building for years.”
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