Israel apparently approves ceasefire with Hezbollah

It is a contradictory picture that is currently emerging in the Middle East: While Israel is carrying out massive air strikes on the Lebanese capital Beirut on Tuesday, a ceasefire in Lebanon is apparently within reach. The Israeli security cabinet, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has approved a ceasefire brokered by the US, according to consistent reports in the Israeli media.

According to US President Joe Biden, the ceasefire will come into force on Wednesday at 4 a.m. local time. Biden said in Washington on Tuesday that the ceasefire agreement was “good news.” At the same time, there will be “a new start” for Lebanon.

Biden spoke on the phone with the acting Prime Minister of Lebanon, Najib Mikati, and spoke to him about the expected ceasefire with Israel. This is a “decisive step towards establishing calm and stability in Lebanon,” said Mikati, according to the state agency NNA. In a conversation with Biden, he also demanded that Israel, which is allied with the USA, fully adhere to the agreement and completely withdraw its own troops from Lebanon. In addition, the “Israeli enemy” must adhere to UN Resolution 1701.

Netanyahu had recently spoken out in favor of a ceasefire. At the same time, the head of government emphasized that they would react harshly to any possible violation of a ceasefire agreement by Hezbollah. “A good agreement is an agreement that you enforce. And we will enforce it.”

After a year of war, Hezbollah was very weakened, Netanyahu also said. “It’s not the same Hezbollah.” The pro-Iranian Shiite militia has been “set back by years.”

Netanyahu said Israel killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and the rest of the leadership and destroyed most of its missile arsenal, as well as an underground tunnel network in southern Lebanon. Regarding violent air strikes before an expected ceasefire, Netanyahu said: “The earth is shaking in Beirut.”

After a ceasefire, people will be able to concentrate on the conflict with Iran, he said. In addition, Israeli soldiers could recover from combat and the Israeli weapons arsenal could be renewed. With an end to the war with Hezbollah, the Islamist Hamas will be left isolated in the Gaza Strip. This could pave the way to an agreement on the release of around 100 hostages.

Mikati is meanwhile calling for the immediate implementation of an expected ceasefire following Israel’s “hysterical” attacks on the Lebanese capital Beirut. The violent attacks on Beirut showed that Israel does not attach importance to any law, Mikati said, state news agency NNA reported. The international community must act quickly.

Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock described the ceasefire agreed between Israel and Hezbollah as a “ray of hope for the entire region”. Hundreds of thousands of women, children and families in Lebanon could now find new hope, as could tens of thousands of people from northern Israel, explained Baerbock in Berlin in the evening. “The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah shows what is possible with diplomatic means,” said Baerbock.

Eyewitnesses reported more than 20 attacks on targets in the center of the capital in the Lebanese capital Beirut on Tuesday. The Lebanese Health Ministry said at least 10 people were killed in the attacks in central Beirut neighborhoods.

Note: This article has been updated.