Israel’s prime minister says he is asking his ministers to approve a cease-fire agreement to end the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
In a televised speech, he said Israel would “respond forcefully to any violation of the law”.
The Iranian-backed and Israeli-backed armed groups have traded near-daily clashes since October 2023. But fighting intensified in late September as Israel stepped up airstrikes and launched a limited offensive.
The conflict has been Lebanon’s worst in decades, killing more than 3,823 people since last year according to local figures.
Netanyahu said how long the ceasefire lasts will depend on what happens in Lebanon.
“We will enforce the agreement and respond strongly to any violation. We will remain united until we win,” he said.
He also said that ending the fight against Hezbollah in Lebanon would allow Israel to increase pressure on Hamas in Gaza and focus on “Iran’s gate”.
“If Hezbollah is gone, Hamas will be left alone in this war. Our pressure on it will increase a lot,” Netanyahu said.
France, which ruled Lebanon for more than 20 years in the last century, and is a long-term ally, is expected to participate in monitoring the agreement.
There will be an immediate 60-day ceasefire that will allow the Israeli and Hezbollah forces to have an armed presence in southern Lebanon, says the BBC’s US partner CBS.
Hezbollah troops and weapons will withdraw south of the Litani River – the border established during the last Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006.
On Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces launched another airstrike in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, on Tuesday, killing at least seven people.
Israel has continued to attack Hezbollah – described as a terrorist organization by Israel and many Western countries – after nearly a year of cross-border fighting sparked by the war in Gaza.
Saying it wants to ensure the safe return of about 60,000 civilians in northern Israel who were displaced by rocket attacks, Hezbollah launched its support for the Palestinians a day after a deadly attack by its ally Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The war has been devastating in Lebanon, where, in addition to 3,823 people killed and 15,859 injured, a million civilians have been displaced from areas where Hezbollah rules.
The World Bank estimates $8.5bn (£6.8bn) in economic losses and damage. Recovery will take time, and no one seems to know who will pay for it.
Hezbollah, too, has been destroyed. Many of its leaders have been killed, including the old king Hassan Nasrallah, and its infrastructure has been severely damaged.
How it will look after the war is still unclear. This group has been greatly weakened, some would say disgraced, but it is not finished.
In Lebanon, it is more than a military force: it is a political party with members of parliament, and a social movement, with great support among Shia Muslims.
Opponents of Hezbollah will likely see it as an opportunity to reduce its influence – it was often described as an “inside state” in Lebanon before the conflict – and many fear this could lead to internal violence.
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