The cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon came into force at 4 am on Wednesday.
The deal, brokered by the US and France, was announced by President Joe Biden and will see an initial 60-day halt to fighting that has killed thousands of Lebanese and displaced more than a million people.
It will also allow tens of thousands of people from both sides of the border to return home.
What does the cease-fire agreement provide for?
A ceasefire agreement was reached between Israel and Hezbollah on Tuesday, after more than a year of exchanges of fire on Israel's border with Lebanon and more than two months of open warfare between the Israeli armed forces and the powerful Lebanese armed movement backed by Iran.
The deal, which was brokered and sponsored by the US and France, was not made public, but a US official referred to its terms on condition of anonymity during remarks to reporters. Here is a summary of the terms as he described them.
The Israeli armed forces have 60 days to gradually withdraw from southern Lebanon.
– Hezbollah fighters are also required to withdraw from Lebanon's southern border with Israel and redeploy north of the Litani River.
– Hezbollah's heavy weapons must also be withdrawn from the border.
– The Lebanese army and security forces will take control of Israeli army and Hezbollah positions.
- Lebanon and Israel retain the right to self-defense, as provided for in international law.
– The US military will offer technical support to the Lebanese army, in cooperation with the French.
– A multi-country military commission will provide further support to the Lebanese army — equipment, training and funding.
– The US and France will join a tripartite mechanism created after the 2006 war by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (FINUL in French, UNIFIL in English), Israel and Lebanon.
– This mechanism, which will now be chaired by the US, will maintain “direct” communication with the various parties and allow “any time a violation” of the agreement is found, “especially a serious violation”, to be “dealt with immediately” so that prevent escalation.
Bombing and drone attacks just before the ceasefire
Lebanon's Hezbollah movement said it had launched strike drones against "critical military targets" in Tel Aviv on Tuesday night, following deadly Israeli airstrikes in Beirut and the announcement of a ceasefire scheduled to take effect at 04:00 (local time). time and Greek time).
"In retaliation for the targeting of the capital Beirut and the massacre of civilians perpetrated by the Israeli enemy," Hezbollah said it sent unmanned aerial vehicles to strike "critical military targets in the city of Tel Aviv and its environs," according to a statement. of the Iranian-backed Shiite movement.
A short time later, the Israeli military ordered the hasty evacuation of civilians from a zone in central Beirut and a second zone in the southern part of the Lebanese capital, shortly before a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon took effect.
The warnings concern residents of the central Basura district and "all" citizens living in a certain area in the southern Gobayri district and were issued via X by the Israeli army's Arabic-speaking spokesman Avihai Andrai.
Earlier, according to a non-governmental organization that monitors developments in the war in Syria, it reported that two people were killed in the Israeli bombardment on the Lebanese-Syrian border, while the Ministry of Health in Lebanon announced a third death.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, two Syrian "regime forces" were killed in a shelling in Dabusiya.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health, for its part, spoke of another death, in Al-Arida, stressing that this is a preliminary report.
Border crossings between the two states have been repeatedly targeted by the Israeli air force since September 23, when — after nearly a year of firefights between Hezbollah and the Israeli armed forces on the Lebanese-Israeli border — the conflict turned into open war, with the Israeli military launching a massive air campaign bombings and, seven days later, ground attacks in the southern part of Lebanese territory.
The Israeli bombings came shortly after Washington announced a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Biden: Positive development that will bring peace to the region
American President Joe Biden welcomed the truce agreed upon by Lebanon and Israel as a positive development that will bring peace to the region and allow the prosperity of the peoples.
In his statements from the White House, Joe Biden first pointed out that Israel and Lebanon had accepted a permanent - and he emphasized that word - ceasefire in the war. This "is good news", he stressed.
The ceasefire came into force at 04:00 on Wednesday (local Lebanese time and Greek time).
"Permanent Cessation of Hostilities"
"The plan wants the cessation of hostilities to be permanent. Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations will not be allowed to threaten Israel's security,” he said.
"Let me be clear, if Hezbollah or anyone else violates the agreement and poses a direct threat to Israel, then Israel retains the right to self-defense, according to international law," he stressed.
In the next 60 days, the Lebanese army and state security forces will take control of their own territory, the US president said, adding that Israel will gradually withdraw its remaining forces during the same period.
The goal is for citizens on both sides to return to their communities and start rebuilding their lives, the US president said.
As for implementation, the US, with the full support of France and its allies, will work with Israel and Lebanon to ensure that the ceasefire is "fully implemented". He did not fail to thank his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, for his cooperation in reaching this agreement.
With the acceptance of the agreement by Israel and Lebanon we come "closer to the implementation of the positive agenda" of the presidency, which envisions a "peaceful and prosperous" Middle East.
Biden: "We want a future where the Palestinians have their own state"
“A future where the Palestinians have their own state - a state that fulfills the legitimate expectations of its people - and a state that cannot threaten Israel or support terrorist groups supported by Iran. A future where Israelis and Palestinians enjoy equal measures of security, prosperity and - yes - dignity," Biden stressed.
The deal "is a new beginning for Lebanon" and helps the nation maintain its sovereignty, said Biden, who stressed that no US forces would be sent to the region.
An effort with Turkey, Egypt and other countries to end the war in the Gaza Strip will follow.
"Just as the people of Lebanon deserve a future of security and prosperity, so do the people of Gaza," Biden said, noting that "the people of Gaza have been through hell."
He added that Hamas has refused for months to negotiate in good faith a ceasefire agreement and for the hostages. Its only option is to release the hostages it is holding and end the fighting, which will allow humanitarian aid to be delivered to Gaza.
Asked after the intervention when we can expect something concrete about the Gaza Strip, Joe Biden did not give an answer.
The joint statement of Biden and Macron
The United States and France will work with Israel and Lebanon to ensure that the ceasefire agreement is fully implemented, the presidents of the two countries, Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron, underlined in their joint statement. The two leaders declare their determination "to ensure that this conflict does not trigger a new cycle of violence", they add.
Israel's ceasefire in Lebanon was officially approved
At the same time, Israel's government's national security council officially approved the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah, by a vote of 10-1, as announced by Prime Minister Netanyahu's office.
"Israel appreciates the US contribution to the process and reserves the right to take action against any threat to its security," the statement said.
The only minister who voted against the ceasefire agreement was far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. In a post on Platform X, Ben Gvir called it a "historic mistake", predicting that "in the future we will have to return to Lebanon again".
Source: protothema.gr
