After months of skirmishes and thousands of casualties, Israel and Hezbollah agreed to the ceasefire deal on Tuesday (local time).
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, also stressed that the “length” of this ceasefire will depend on “what happens in Lebanon.”
“With the United States’ full understanding, we maintain full freedom of military action. If Hezbollah violates the agreement and tries to arm itself, we will attack. If it tries to rebuild terrorist infrastructure near the border, we will attack. If it launches a rocket, if it digs a tunnel, if it brings in a truck carrying rockets, we will attack”, Netanyahu noted.
He gave three reasons for having a ceasefire at this point.
“The first reason is to focus on the Iranian threat, and I won’t expand on that. The second reason is to give our forces a breather and replenish stocks. And I say it openly, it is no secret that there have been big delays in weapons and munitions deliveries. These delays will be resolved soon. We will receive supplies of advanced weaponry that will keep our soldiers safe and give us more strike force to complete our mission. And the third reason for having a ceasefire is to separate the fronts and isolate Hamas. From day two of the war, Hamas was counting on Hezbollah to fight by its side. With Hezbollah out of the picture, Hamas is left on its own. We will increase our pressure on Hamas and that will help us in our sacred mission of releasing our hostages”.
Notably, Israel and Lebanon have been engaged in a prolonged conflict that began on October 8 last year, when Hezbollah attacked Israeli-controlled territory in solidarity with Hamas and Palestinians in Gaza, as reported by CNN.
This incident sparked a series of tit-for-tat border attacks, which eventually escalated into a major military offensive launched by Israel in mid-September.
The conflict has seen a ground invasion by Israel, resulting in the deaths of several Hezbollah leaders, including one of its founders, Hassan Nasrallah, and thousands of injuries from an attack involving exploding pagers. The situation remains volatile, with ongoing efforts to negotiate a ceasefire.
