Hopes for ‘lasting calm’ as Israel ceasefire with Hezbollah begins

The truce between Israel and the Lebanon took effect at 1pm AEDT, with the US and France vowing to ensure it was ‘fully implemented’ and would create conditions for permanent peace.

The truce between Israel and the Lebanon has begun, taking effect at 1pm (AEDT), as the US and France vowed to ensure it was ‘fully implemented’ and would create conditions for permanent peace.

Earlier this morning (AEDT) US President Joe Biden confirmed that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed a 60-day ceasefire, saying the truce heralds a “new start” for Lebanon.

Speaking after the Israeli cabinet voted the deal through 10-1, Mr Biden said: “This is designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities.”

He said Hezbollah – and what is left of the terrorist organisation – would “not be allowed to threaten the security of Israel again”.

The ceasefire agreement – overseen by the US and France – would see Israel withdraw troops over the next 60 days.

Mr Biden said Israel “retains the right to self-defence” if Hezbollah “or anyone else” breaks the agreement.

“This deal supports Lebanon’s sovereignty,” Mr Biden said. “So it heralds a new start for Lebanon – a country that I’ve seen most of over the years, a country with a rich history and culture. If fully implemented, this deal can put Lebanon on a path toward a future that’s worthy of its significant past.”

In a joint statement, Mr Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron said their two countries would ensure the ceasefire, to take effect at 4am local time (1pm AEDT) was “fully implemented.”

They added that it would secure Israel “from threat of Hezbollah”.

Mr Biden repeated a call for a ceasefire in Gaza and for the remaining hostages to be released.

“Just as Lebanese people deserve a future of security and prosperity, so do the people of Gaza. They too deserve an end to the fighting and displacement. People of Gaza have been through hell. Their world’s absolutely shattered. Far too many civilians in Gaza have suffered far too much.

“And Hamas has refused for months and months to negotiate a good faith ceasefire and a hostage deal. So now Hamas has a choice to make. Their only way out is to release the hostages including American citizens which they hold.

“In the process – bring an end to the fighting which would make possible a surge of humanitarian relief. Over the coming days, the US will make another push with Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and others to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, for the hostages’ release, and the end of the war without Hamas in power.”

Mr Netanyahu thanked Mr Biden for US “involvement” in the Washington-ledtruce.

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati welcomed the ceasefire, describing it as a crucial step toward stability, the return of displaced people to their homes and regional calm.

Before Mr Biden spoke, Mr Netanyahu addressed Israelis, insisting in a video statement that the agreement allowed Israel “full liberty” to attack again if Hezbollah launched missiles, expanded its tunnel network or prepared for any aggression in violation of the ceasefire.

“The duration of the ceasefire depends on what happens in Lebanon,” Mr Netanyahu said. “If Hezbollah violates it, we will attack.

“I hear the claim that we cannot renew the war. I remind you – this is precisely what I was told during the ceasefire in Gaza, and we returned to fight, and in a big way.”

As the Israeli Defence Forces pounded Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut, he stressed that Israel had set Hezbollah back decades, with the terror group now not enjoying the same capabilities, leadership or command structure anymore.

“Hezbollah is no longer the same. We set them back decades,” he said. “We have destroyed many missiles and rockets, we have killed many terrorists.”

Mr Netanyahu said there were three reasons this was the right time for Israel to engage in a ceasefire with Hezbollah, with the priority to focus on removing the nuclear threat posed by Iran.

“The first is to focus on the Iranian threat, enough said. The second is to refresh our forces and rearm our troops. There have been big delays in the supply of arms and this delay is about to stop soon,” he said.

“We will arm ourselves with sophisticated arms to protect our troops and give us greater force to complete our missions.

“The third is to isolate Hamas. Hamas was counting on Hezbollah and once Hezbollah is eliminated, Hamas is left alone. Our pressure on Hamas will grow stronger and help in the sacred mission to bring back our hostages.”

The deal is for both sides to cease attacks for 60 days and for Hezbollah to pull back its troops north of the Litani river, which is about 30km from the Israeli border. The Lebanese government is to send 5000 of its own forces into this zone.

The Israeli military will also withdraw its troops from Lebanese territory over the coming weeks.

Much of the deal is similar to a UN Security Council Resolution 1701 agreed back in 2006 to end conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, but which was often breached.

The pact allows for further negotiations and a longer peace deal to be worked out over the next 60 days, leading to what is expected to be the end of the 14 month conflict which has caused thousands of deaths and displaced hundreds of thousands of people.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the truce would help secure an end to the war in Gaza.

“One of the things that Hamas has sought from day one is to get others in on the fight, to create multiple fronts … and as long as it thought that was possible, that’s one of the reasons it has held back from doing what is necessary to end the conflict,” Mr Blinken told reporters at the G7 in Italy.

“If it sees that the cavalry is not on the way, that may incentivise it to do what it needs to do to end this conflict.”

On Tuesday, ahead of the agreement being signed off by the Israeli security cabinet, Israel launched a massive strike on southern Beirut suburbs, saying they were targeting Hezbollah’s naval missile unite and command headquarters.

The Israel army said 30 Hezbollah sites had been targeted in the past week and criticised the Iranian proxy group of operating from dense civilian areas to use the local population as human shields. The Tuesday strikes included 13 terror targets in the Dahieh area, taking out a Hezbollah aerial defence unit centre, an intelligence centre, command centre and weapons storage facilities. Seven other targets were components of Hezbollah’s financial system. Footage shows

In these final hours before the ceasefire Hezbollah had also fired a barrage of rockets into northern Israel.

An Israeli intelligence officer told NBC News that the ceasefire deal was intensely debated.

“The strongest voices against this deal come from the leaders of the Israeli towns and villages along the north”, the official said.

“All the leaders there are speaking with a very clear voice, in one voice, all of them say it is a terrible deal. That’s not what we expected.

“We are not going to urge our people to return to these dangerous places.”

British military analyst and former paratrooper Andrew Fox said the war has seen 60,000 Israelis displaced, over 17,500 rockets and drones launched at Israel, over 13,000 Hezbollah targets struck by Israel, over 2,100 Hezbollah operatives killed and over 14,500 wounded, with over 80 per cent of Hezbollah’s 130,000-150,000 missiles and rocket stores destroyed.

He added: “The Israel Defence Force have cleared along the immediate border with Lebanon to destroy Hezbollah fighting locations and terror tunnels, which were found stocked with uniforms and weaponry to launch 7 October-style terror attacks into Israel itself.’’

A five-country committee, chaired by the US is to ensure compliance with the ceasefire.