Netanyahu announces ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah.

The agreement, mediated by the United States and based on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, aims to halt hostilities that have displaced thousands of families in northern Israel since September.

Netanyahu, who spoke on Tuesday evening, emphasised that the ceasefire would allow residents to return home while maintaining Israel’s ability to act against threats in Lebanon if necessary.

He noted that the truce would enable Israel to shift its focus to addressing the broader Iranian threat and intensify pressure on Hamas.

“The length of the ceasefire depends on what happens in Lebanon. We will enforce the agreement and respond forcefully to any violation. We will continue united until victory,” he said in a televised address.

He also said that Hezbollah was “not the same” as it was before the war.

“We have pushed them decades back,” he said.

Faced with significant opposition from members of his cabinet, he stressed that the ceasefire would depend on “what happens” in Lebanon.

He added that Israel would maintain “full freedom” to act in Lebanon, and said a truce would allow Israel to “focus on the Iranian threat.”

Clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah have escalated since late September, with heavy fighting resulting in significant destruction in southern Lebanon and central Beirut.

The Lebanese health ministry estimates that more than 3,700 people have been killed since October 2023, with most casualties occurring in recent months.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati expressed support for the ceasefire, urging its immediate implementation to halt the ongoing devastation.

US officials involved in brokering the agreement have expressed optimism about its potential to restore calm and facilitate humanitarian relief.

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