Israel reached a deal for a 60-day ceasefire with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah after weeks of talks mediated by the U.S., a first step toward ending a conflict that’s killed thousands of people.
President Joe Biden, who spoke after talking with the leaders of Israel and Lebanon, said at the White House Tuesday that all sides had agreed to a ceasefire that would “end the devastating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.” More broadly, Biden said the U.S. “remains prepared to conclude a set of historic deals with Saudi Arabia to include a security pact and economic assurance” for the region.
Earlier Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would bring the proposed Lebanon ceasefire to a vote by his security cabinet, which gave its approval. He said Israel would now be able to focus on “the Iranian threat” and boost pressure in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The truce proposal came after one of Biden’s main Middle East envoys, Amos Hochstein, shuttled between Israel and Lebanon in a bid to end the conflict before President-elect Donald Trump takes over the White House in January. Both Hezbollah and Hamas are designated terrorist organizations by the U.S. and many other countries.
Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron issued a joint statement pledging their nations “will work with Israel and Lebanon to ensure this arrangement is fully implemented and enforced” and to prevent “another cycle of violence.”
The deal for a 60-day pause could pave the way for a more lasting ceasefire after more than a year of fighting that has destroyed the Lebanon-Israel border area and seen Israel bomb parts of Beirut, as well as other Lebanese cities.
In the hours before Biden spoke, the Israeli air force conducted some of its heaviest strikes yet on Beirut.
Talks on a longer-term ceasefire would likely be complicated. Israel wants Hezbollah to remove its fighters and weapons from the border region in southern Lebanon, with United Nations forces and the Lebanese military patrolling the area to ensure that happens.
These were the requirements of a U.N. resolution, known as 1701, that ended a 2006 war between the two sides. One key obstacle to a truce in this conflict has been Israel’s insistence on being able to continue striking Hezbollah positions if it thought the group was breaching the terms of any ceasefire agreement.
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najob Mikati said his government was committed to boosting its army’s presence along the border with Israel as part of the ceasefire plan, according to the state-run National News Agency.
But Netanyahu said in his remarks that the duration of the truce depends on developments in Lebanon. “If Hezbollah chooses to re-arm, we’ll attack,” he said.
Nor was support for the ceasefire unanimous in Israel’s security cabinet. Hardline National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir voted against the accord, posting on X that it’s “a serious mistake. A ceasefire at this stage will not return the residents of the north to their homes, will not deter Hezbollah and in fact will miss a historic opportunity to strike them hard and bring them to their knees.”
Oil and gold prices have fallen this week, with traders optimistic a truce would help calm the Middle East. The Israeli shekel has also strengthened.
About 3,100 people have been killed in Lebanon by the Israeli strikes and ground offensive in the past two months, and 1.2 million — more than a fifth of the population — have been displaced.
