He justifies the agreement as necessary to continue facing the Iranian threat
The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, has confirmed this Tuesday a ceasefire agreement in principle for the cessation of hostilities between the Israeli Army and the Lebanese Shiite party-militia Hezbollah, which for more than a year have exchanged attacks on both sides of the border in the framework of the war in the Middle East.
This was confirmed by the Israeli president in a speech to the nation, putting an end to the speculations of recent days around a possible agreement. Before, Netanyahu had met with representatives of communities in northern Israel, while some of his most prominent ministers have held talks at the highest level on this same issue.
The Israeli president has indicated that he will present to his cabinet this proposal for a ceasefire, the duration of which will depend in any case on what happens in the neighbouring country, and which could be broken if Hezbollah “tries to retaliate.” “If it tries to resume terrorist activities near the border, we will attack. If it breaks the agreement and digs a tunnel, if it brings missiles, we will attack,” he explained.
“We will respond firmly to any of its actions,” warned Netanyahu who, in an attempt to convince those who do not see the agreement as positive, recalled that in the Gaza Strip he did sign a ceasefire that later did not prevent the Israeli Army from continuing with its operations, deepening the dismemberment of the Palestinian group.
At this point, the Israeli president took the opportunity to convey his “pride” to the population of the north of the country. “I am proud of your resilience, and I am committed to your security, to rebuilding your homes, to your future,” said Netanyahu, who then also praised the performance of the Army not only in southern Lebanon, but also on the other fronts open against Israel.
But specifically, with regard to the Israeli response against Hezbollah, Netanyahu stressed that the Islamist organization “is not the same as a year ago,” when in October 2023 it began launching missiles against towns in northern Israel, leaving several wounded and tens of thousands of evacuees who have not yet been able to return to their homes.
Thus, Netanyahu stressed that Israel’s attacks against Hezbollah structures, especially in neighborhoods in southern Beirut, have made the “ground rumble” in the Lebanese capital and caused the group to go back “decades.” Despite everything, Netanyahu has stressed that all these operations have always had the objective of safeguarding the security of the Israeli population, and with an eye on all open fronts.
“That is how I acted when I decided at the beginning of the war to focus on Gaza and not open a second front in Lebanon; that is how I acted a few months ago, when the conditions were right in the north and then we decided to focus on Hezbollah; that is how I acted after the Iranian missile attack, and that is how I act today,” he explained, justifying the ceasefire agreement as necessary to continue facing the Iranian threat and to change the paradigm in the Middle East.
The Israeli Army’s attacks on Lebanese territory have so far left more than 3,700 dead and some 15,700 wounded, according to the latest report from the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health. Among the dead is part of the Hezbollah leadership, including the leader of the Islamist organization for decades, Hassan Nasrallah.
The upsurge in hostilities in Beirut and southern Lebanon is part of clashes that began more than a year ago after Hezbollah attacked Israel a day after the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) launched an offensive.
The Israeli army launched a new invasion of Lebanon on October 1 after several weeks of intense bombings and attacks against the country, including the coordinated explosion of thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies linked to Hezbollah.
