‘With the full understanding of the United States, we are preserving full military freedom of action – if Hezbollah breaks the agreement and seeks to arm itself, we will attack’
By Jake Smith, Daily Caller News Foundation
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he agreed to a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah on Tuesday.
Israel and Hezbollah have been locked in conflict since October 2023, and hostilities between the two have only risen in recent months. Netanyahu announced on Tuesday he would press his security cabinet to agree to the current ceasefire deal on the table, noting that Israel’s priorities in the ongoing Middle East conflict have shifted.
“I have said many times that a good agreement is an agreement that can be enforced, and we will enforce it,” Netanyahu said in an address.
The deal was fully agreed to on Wednesday, and a full-scale ceasefire went into effect immediately. Israel will have 60 days to withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon, which will give Lebanese forces time to return to the region, according to reports. Hezbollah is expected to pull its forces back from the Israel-Lebanon border as part of the deal.
The sustainability of the deal hinges on Hezbollah’s actions, Netanyahu noted.
“The length of the ceasefire will depend on what happens in Lebanon,” Netanyahu said in his address. “With the full understanding of the United States, we are preserving full military freedom of action — if Hezbollah breaks the agreement and seeks to arm itself, we will attack.”
There were three reasons that Israel was ready to accept a ceasefire deal at this point in time, Netanyahu said. One, to give the Israeli forces time to recuperate; two, to isolate Hamas from Hezbollah; and three, to allow Israel to focus on the threat from Iran.