Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire comes into effect in Lebanon

A 60-day truce between Israel and the Shiite militant group “Hezbollah” came into effect in Lebanon on Wednesday morning after nearly 14 months of hostilities.

The agreement was announced on Tuesday by US President Joe Biden, who expressed the hope that the hostilities will not resume after the end of the ceasefire.

Basically a UN resolution

The Israel-Hezbollah war began shortly after the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 last year and carried out massacres there. In support of Hamas, Hezbollah has since fired rockets at Israel, which has launched a ground campaign in southern Lebanon as the war unfolds. Israel has greatly weakened Hezbollah during the war, including the removal of the group’s longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah. Both sides have now agreed to a truce.

The agreement states that Hezbollah fighters must leave southern Lebanon within 60 days. During this time, Israeli troops must also leave southern Lebanon.

Only Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers can access the south of the Litani River, which is about 30 kilometers north of the Lebanon-Israel border. The ceasefire that has been achieved is largely based on the resolution adopted by the UN Security Council in 2006, which ended the war between Israel and Hezbollah. The terms of the truce call for 10,000 Lebanese troops to be deployed in the south of the country. Lebanon should also monitor Hezbollah’s activities. The UN resolution that ended the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006 stated that Lebanon has “full sovereignty”, but Hezbollah fighters have not laid down their weapons at this time.

The agreement will be facilitated by the United States and France, through which it was reached. The text of the peace, obtained by the United Arab Emirates newspaper “The National”, also states that the UN peacekeepers, the United States and France must ensure that the conditions of the peace “This announcement will create the conditions to restore lasting peace and allow the people of both countries to return home safely,” the US and France said in a joint statement. Israel has said it will respond with military means if Hezbollah violates the ceasefire. Biden has expressed support for this view, saying that Israel “has a right to defend itself under international law.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu justified the decision to end the truce with three considerations –

Israel wants to “focus on the threat from Iran”, give rest to its soldiers, who have to fight in several ways, as well as increasing the pressure on the terrorist group “Hamas”. ” in the Gaza Strip.

Monitoring the ceasefire

The ceasefire came into effect at 4:00 am local time (also 4:00 am Latvian time). Shortly before the ceasefire came into effect, Israel carried out heavy airstrikes on the Lebanese capital, Beirut. Since the peace came into being, there has been great respect, Western media reports. The Lebanese who left him have begun to return to their homes in southern Lebanon, although the Israel Defense Forces have warned that this should not be done yet, as the Israelis have not to leave southern Lebanon. However, Lebanese civilians have already started going home, and there is already a traffic jam on the highway that connects Beirut to the south of the country. About 1.2 million of Lebanon’s 5.4 million inhabitants had to flee their homes since the war started on October 7 last year. More than 3,800 Lebanese were killed in the war between Hezbollah and Israel, according to data provided by the Lebanese Ministry of Health. It is not known how many of them are Hezbollah fighters. At the same time, around 60,000 people have fled from northern Israel. Israel has killed more than 80 soldiers and killed 47 civilians in the war against “Hezbollah”, according to the group “Associated Press”.

Difficult situation in Lebanon

Lebanon was already in a deep political and economic crisis before the start of the war between Israel and Hezbollah. Since the fall of 2022, Lebanon has not had a president or an active government, according to CNN.

Lebanon’s interim government has failed Hezbollah, which is not only a military organization but also a political party represented in the Lebanese parliament.

The next steps of the Lebanese government will largely determine whether “Hezbollah” can continue to impose its will on Lebanon, said former Israeli intelligence officer Avi Melamed, who studied security issues in the Middle East, in CNN interview. “The most important task in the future is the restoration of Lebanon’s sovereignty, especially since the leadership of Hezbollah in the country,” said the researcher. It will be a difficult task. The Lebanese armed forces have announced that they lack funding. , weapons and human resources to monitor the situation in the south of the country. It is also unclear whether the Lebanese military will be ready to target Hezbollah, which has a large influence in the Lebanese Shiite community , if the group breaks The terms of the ceasefire. It is also not known who will compensate Lebanon for the economic losses caused by the war. The World Bank has estimated that these losses have reached 8.5 billion dollars (8.1 billion euros). since October last year.