Netanyahu publicly backs Israel-Hezbollah cease-fire plan

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publically backed a cease-fire statement with Hezbollah terrorists that would extremity astir 14 months of warring – but the deal, brokered by the U.S. and France, has yet to beryllium formally approved by his cabinet.

Netanyahu’s information Cabinet convened earlier Tuesday, wherever ministers person been deliberating for much than 3 hours implicit the projected cease-fire. 

At a property league portion deliberations were ongoing, Netanyahu laid retired 3 reasons successful enactment of the deal: To absorption connected the Iranian threat; Provide an accidental to refresh the Israeli forces; and abstracted Hamas from the bluish front. 

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with IDF commanders successful the Netzarim Corridor successful Gaza to sermon Hamas activity. 11/19/2024 (Photo provided by TPS)

By ending the struggle with Hezbollah, Netanyahu said Hamas volition basal alone, clearing the mode for Israeli forces to retrieve the remaining Oct. 7 hostages. 

Netanyahu said helium would contiguous the statement to the Cabinet for a ballot aboriginal Tuesday. 

"How agelong it volition beryllium volition depends connected what volition hap successful Lebanon," Netanyahu said. "If Hezbollah doesn't travel the agreement, we'll attack." 

Under the projected presumption of an archetypal two-month cease-fire, Hezbollah is required to determination its forces northbound of the Litani River – a important focal constituent which successful immoderate places is 20 miles from the Israeli borderline – and Israeli forces indispensable retreat from confederate Lebanon arsenic well. The Lebanese Armed Forces are to deploy to the borderline portion wrong 60 days, and a five-country committee chaired by the U.S. and including France would show compliance of the presumption of the deal, Reuters reported. 

A peacekeeping ngo by observers from the United Nations Interim Force successful Lebanon (UNIFIL) volition besides continue, according to the Israeli quality bureau Tazpit Press Service (TPS-IL). 

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Among the remaining issues was Israel's demand to reserve the close to instrumentality subject enactment should Hezbollah interruption its obligations nether the emerging deal.

Smoke rises pursuing Israeli bombardment successful confederate Lebanon arsenic seen from bluish Israel, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024.  (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

The Israeli Defense Forces said earlier Tuesday that its crushed troops person reached parts of Lebanon’s Litani River – considered a longtime Hezbollah stronghold. 

In a statement, the IDF said its troops had reached the Wadi Slouqi country successful southern Lebanon and "raided Hezbollah strongholds, uncovering and confiscating hundreds of weapons, dismantling dozens of underground facilities, and neutralizing galore rocket launchers that were prepared for imminent use." 

The IDF says the clashes with Hezbollah took spot connected the eastbound extremity of the Litani, conscionable a fewer miles from the border. It is 1 of the deepest places Israeli forces person reached successful a astir two-month crushed operation.

The Israeli subject said troops "conducted intelligence-based raids based connected violent infrastructure concealed successful the analyzable terrain." 

Israeli soldiers astatine the Litani River successful confederate Lebanon connected Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (IDF Spokesperson/TPS-IL)

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"The soldiers raided respective violent targets, engaged successful close-quarters combat with terrorists, located and destroyed dozens of launchers, thousands of rockets and missiles, and weapons retention facilities hidden successful the mountainside," the IDF said. 

Hezbollah began attacking Israel connected Oct. 8, 2023, a time aft Hamas terrorists killed much than 1,200 radical and took much than 250 hostages from confederate Israel into Gaza, mounting disconnected much than a twelvemonth of fighting. That escalated successful September with monolithic Israeli airstrikes crossed Lebanon, and an Israeli crushed incursion of the country’s south. Hezbollah has fired thousands of rockets into Israeli subject bases, cities and towns, including immoderate 250 projectiles connected Sunday.

More than 68,000 Israelis person been displaced from their homes on the Lebanese border, TPS-IL reports.

A Middle East Airlines level flies arsenic fume rises pursuing an Israeli airstrike connected Dahiyeh, successful Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024.  (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

An Israeli onslaught connected Tuesday leveled a residential gathering successful the cardinal Beirut territory of Basta — the 2nd clip successful caller days warplanes person deed the crowded country adjacent the city’s downtown. 

The Israeli subject besides issued warnings for 20 much buildings successful Beirut’s Hezbollah-controlled suburbs to evacuate earlier they excessively were struck — a determination carried retired successful the last moments earlier immoderate cease-fire took hold.

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Speaking connected the sidelines of a Group of Seven gathering successful Italy, the European Union’s overseas argumentation chief, Josep Borrell, said Tuesday determination were "no excuses" for Israel to garbage a cease-fire with Hezbollah, informing that without it, "Lebanon volition autumn apart."

The Times of Israel reported that Minister of Defense Israel Katz met with the U.N. Special Envoy for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert connected Tuesday, wherever helium said Jerusalem would person "Zero tolerance" for immoderate usurpation of the truce, informing that "If you don't bash it, we volition … and with large force."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.