Israel and Lebanon agree to renew the ceasefire if Hezbollah ends the offensive
The governments of Israel and Lebanon have agreed to renew a ceasefire, both sides said on Wednesday, after weeks of deadly fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group in southern Lebanon have jeopardized broader talks between the US and Iran. to end their conflict.
The US agreement is conditional on Hezbollah ceasing attacks and withdrawing from southern Lebanon, according to a statement issued jointly by the Israeli, Lebanese and American governments. Israel is not in direct conflict with the Lebanese army.
Hezbollah is backed by Iran and has significant influence within Lebanon, particularly among its Shiite community, and the Lebanese state has long struggled to control the US-recognized terrorist group or get it to disarm.
The agreement also proposes the establishment of “checkpoints” where the Lebanese army can control “to the exclusion of all non-state actors.”
Wednesday’s suspension came after two days of talks between Israeli and Lebanese officials in Washington. A joint statement said Israel and Lebanon agreed to hold further talks in three weeks, “with the aim of reaching a comprehensive agreement.”
“All countries have confirmed that the future of relations between Israel and Lebanon must be decided by two independent governments,” the statement read. “They rejected any attempt, by any state or non-state actor, to seize the future of Lebanon.”
Israel and Hezbollah have traded weapons for months, with Hezbollah firing rockets into northern Israel while Israeli forces control large parts of southern Lebanon. Two countries he finished completely in mid-April, but the fighting continued. President Trump said Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to a ceasefire on Monday, but a day later, the two sides traded blows.
More than 3,000 people have died in Lebanon since fighting began in early March, with dozens of deaths reported in Israel, according to the governments of both countries. More than 1 million people in Lebanon, a country estimated to be less than 6 million years old, are still homeless, the Lebanese government said.
The conflict hinges on a major effort to end months of US-Iran hostility by extending a deal between the two countries, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and starting talks on the thorny issue of Iran’s nuclear program.
The Iranian government has insisted that any agreement to end the US-Israeli war with Iran must include an end to fighting in Lebanon. Earlier this week, Iran’s state news agency said the country had suspended indirect talks with the US because of Israel’s operations in Lebanon, although Mr. Trump says negotiations are ongoing.
Mr. Trump has pressured Israel and Lebanon to make a deal. He announced Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to call off the “major attack on Beirut” and to “cease fire” on Hezbollah, while Hezbollah agreed to stop firing on Israel. Later, Netanyahu said on social media that he told Mr. Trump said that the Israeli military will attack Beirut “if Hezbollah does not stop attacking our cities and citizens.”
Axios reported that the phone was on fire, and Mr. Trump reportedly called Netanyahu “crazy” and declared that “everyone hates Israel because of this.”
Asked about that report on the New York Post’s “Pod Force One” podcast, Mr. Trump seemed to confirm that. He told the Post’s Miranda Devine that he was “a little disturbed” by Israel’s war with Lebanon, then told Netanyahu, “we have to stop this.”
