The Israeli press has reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has authorized a ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon.<\/p>\n
According to Israeli state television KAN<\/em>, the Tel Aviv government has given the green light for a ceasefire to Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser to U.S. President Joe Biden, who has been mediating between Israel and Hezbollah. The report noted that Netanyahu and senior ministers held a security consultation meeting last night, during which Netanyahu approved the proposal for a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon.<\/p>\n Discussions reportedly centered on ensuring the freedom of movement for the Israeli army along the Syrian-Lebanese border. Israel has also received assurances from the U.S. regarding its ability to act if the agreement is violated. Unnamed Israeli sources have stated that a ceasefire announcement is expected “within two days.”<\/p>\n The sources further disclosed that the agreement with Lebanon has already been signed, and that Netanyahu is now focused on strategizing its announcement.<\/p>\n However, Michael Herzog, Israel’s ambassador to Washington, told Israel Army Radio<\/em> that while progress has been made, some details of the agreement remain unresolved.<\/p>\n According to a report in Haaretz<\/em>, the U.S.-proposed ceasefire involves a three-stage plan: an immediate ceasefire, followed by a withdrawal of Hezbollah forces north of the Litani River, an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, and the initiation of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon to address disputed border areas.<\/p>\n A U.S.-led international body will oversee the ceasefire’s implementation. Additionally, Israel expects a formal letter from Washington confirming its right to take military action if Hezbollah violates the ceasefire terms and the Lebanese army or international forces fail to act.<\/p>\n Regarding the public framing of the agreement, KAN<\/em> reported that Netanyahu intends to present the ceasefire as a strategic victory for Israel, rather than a compromise.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, several Israeli media outlets have indicated that Amos Hochstein has communicated to Israel that he may withdraw from the mediation process if there is no positive response to the U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal in the coming days. Netanyahu’s office informed Channel 13<\/em> that it had received Hochstein’s message but was uncertain whether it reflected an official U.S. position or an attempt to apply pressure on Israel and Lebanon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Israeli press has reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has authorized a ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon. According to Israeli state television KAN, the Tel Aviv government has given the green light for a ceasefire to Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser to U.S. President Joe Biden, who has been mediating between Israel and Hezbollah. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6378,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2690,1138,1211,660,812,457,1192],"class_list":["post-6377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middleeast","tag-amos-hochstein","tag-benjamin-netanyahu","tag-ceasefire","tag-hezbollah","tag-israel","tag-joe-biden","tag-united-states"],"yoast_head":"\n