Biden confirms ceasefire and says agreement begins on Wednesday (27)

Netanyahu spoke by phone with US President Joe Biden. He thanked “their involvement” in reaching this agreement, according to information from the Israeli prime minister’s office.

The prime minister says there are three reasons for the ceasefire. Focus on Iran, replenish depleted weapons supplies and give the army a rest, and finally isolate Hamas, the militant group that sparked the war in the region when it launched an attack on Israel from Gaza last year.

He said Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran and allied with Hamas, was considerably weaker than at the start of the conflict. “We set Hezbollah back decades, eliminated…its top leaders, destroyed most of its rockets and missiles, neutralized thousands of fighters and destroyed years of terrorist infrastructure near our border,” he said.

“We target strategic objectives across Lebanon, shaking Beirut to its core,” Netahyahu said. The agreement requires Israeli troops to withdraw from southern Lebanon and the Lebanese Army to deploy in the region within 60 days. Hezbollah, in turn, would end its armed presence along the border south of the Litani River.

In recent days, the USA, the European Union and the UN have intensified efforts to impose a truce. At a meeting of G7 foreign ministers, the EU’s external police chief had already said there was no excuse for not implementing the Hezbollah deal and pushed for Israel’s approval.

For more than a month, Lebanon has been waiting for a ceasefire. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said in October that he was doing everything possible for negotiations and that he was optimistic about the possibility. The expectation, however, was frustrated by Israel, which signaled rejection with an expansion of attacks.