The ceasefire has not yet been confirmed, but it is already being celebrated in Lebanon. In Beirut schools, families of displaced people from the south of the country spent Monday afternoon singing and dancing. “In two months we will be able to leave here,” Janade, who left Meis el Jabal with his family in mid-September, on the border with Israel, fleeing the announced enemy invasion, euphorically explained to EL ESPAÑOL.
Everything indicates that, when the cabinet of ministers of Benjamin NetanyahuFrance and the United States jointly announce a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, a Shiite militia which joined the Hamas offensive shortly after the attack of October 7, 2023. The most serious proposal to end the Hostilities that turned into war only happened after that November.
A few weeks ago, the envoy of Joe Biden, Amos Hochsteinpresented a ceasefire plan to the Israeli and Lebanese governments, themselves Hezbollah intermediaries. It took the Lebanese parties a weekend to study and approve it. This Monday, a week later, CNN revealed that the Israeli Prime Minister had also given his agreement. At least “in principle”.
Even though Netanyahu’s government has yet to vote and the United States acknowledged Monday evening that “there are still steps to take to close the deal,” many in Lebanon are already rejoicing at the news. . However, in the southern half of the country, they do so between bombs. Throughout the day on Monday, Israel unleashed its artillery with intensity on the Shiite neighborhoods of Beirut, Tire – the main port in southern Lebanon – and the towns of Nabatiye and Baalbek. There, in the span of an hour, the Israeli army attacked some 25 Hezbollah targets on Monday afternoon.
The vice-speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Elías Bou Saab, on Monday accused Israel of intensifying its bombings on Lebanon to pressure the government to make concessions in indirect ceasefire negotiations with Hezbollah . Bou Saab said Monday that pressure has increased because “we are close to the decisive hour to achieve a ceasefire.” “We are optimistic and there is hope, but nothing is guaranteed with a person like [el primer ministro israelí, Benjamin Netanyahu]” he said at a press conference.
In the capital, Israeli Defense Forces struck Shiite neighborhoods in southern Beirut in five separate waves. In Chueifat, between Lebanon’s only international airport and a hospital, a plane bombed a residential building without warning. Evacuation orders were issued for other areas on the outskirts of the city and for more than twelve buildings in Tyre.
In recent days, Israel has also transformed the Lebanese Armed Forces, unrelated to the conflict with Hezbollah, into a military objective. According to the Lebanese army, these attacks cost the lives of 45 soldiers.. Currently, at least 3,766 Lebanese have died as a result of Israeli aggression.
This Monday, while the skies of Beirut roared, those of Tel Aviv rested after the worst weekend since the start of the war. On Sunday, Hezbollah launched its largest attack on Israeli territory, with its missiles hitting the main metropolitan area, Haifa, Nahariya and even Ashdod in southern Israel. In the end, the Shiite militia party claimed responsibility for at least 51 operations.
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What is Israel’s motivation?
The new efforts to bypass the Lebanese front came largely after Donald Trump will win the American elections in early November. According to an Israeli source Washington Postthe ceasefire in Lebanon is a “gift” from Netanyahu to the future tenant of the White House at a time when he has many favors to ask in return.
Trump, who has already warned the Israeli Prime Minister that he would like to see a truce signed in his first days in power, could give carte blanche to the Israeli Prime Minister in his offensive in Gaza. This was revealed last week by the statements of the aforementioned Israeli diplomat: “He will sign because he wants to give Trump a gift before the inauguration. “He knows he needs Trump for the Gaza issue and he needs Trump a lot for Iran, so he will give him Lebanon at a bargain price. »
This was before the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Netanyahu himself and his former defense minister. Yoav Gallant. On this front, it is also in Netanyahu’s interest to ensure that the next US president maintains his support against the International Court.
But, apart from the political strategy of the Netanyahu government, the Israeli army has no major military achievements to celebrate after more than two months of invasion of southern Lebanon. At the end of September, he assassinated the absolute leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallahand has since decapitated the political and military wings of the party militia. However, the battle line has brought nothing but frustrations to the Israeli army.
For weeks, Israeli troops have remained in Khiam, a town six kilometers from the border, unable to advance by land and suffering heavy losses among their troops. The impasse is such that on Monday, as Netanyahu’s most hardline ministers urged his government to maintain the siege until Hezbollah is defeated, the leader of Lebanon’s main invasion brigade resigned from his post.
