The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into force in southern Lebanon on Wednesday 27 November at 4am local time (3am Paris time), after more than a year of cross-border hostilities and two months of open warfare between the Israeli army and Hezbollah. the Lebanese armed formation. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati welcomed a “fundamental step” towards regional stability.
Key role of the United States and France
The deal, negotiated by America’s special envoy to Lebanon, Amos Hochstein, emerged after several weeks of negotiations, in which the United States and France played important roles. International diplomacy has notably relied on UN Security Council Resolution 1701 which ended the previous war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006 and stipulates that only the Lebanese army and peacekeepers can be deployed on the southern border of Lebanon.
US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron jointly welcomed the announcement of the implementation of the ceasefire on Tuesday evening, following the approval of the text by the Israeli Security Cabinet. The agreement, “will create the necessary conditions for the lasting restoration of calm and allow the safe return to their homes of residents on both sides of the Blue Line”the border between the two countries drawn by the United Nations, they said in a joint statement.
Both presidents have indicated that their countries will ensure the implementation of the agreement “fully implemented and enforced”. They ensured that he “I would protect” Israel of “threat” of Hezbollah, pledging to work to strengthen it “ability” of the Lebanese army and the recovery of the country’s economy. “We could say that this agreement is the fruit of hard work carried out over many months, that it is a success for French diplomacy and that we can be proud of it”Jean-Noël Barrot, French Minister of Foreign Affairs, welcomed Jean-Noël Barrot, French Minister of Foreign Affairs, on Wednesday on Franceinfo.
A sixty day transition phase
In addition to stopping the fighting, the agreement provides for the establishment of a sixty-day transition phase during which Israeli troops will have to evacuate southern Lebanon, where they entered on October 1st. At the same time, Hezbollah forces will have to retreat north of the Litani River, about twenty kilometers from the border.
During this two-month phase, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), on the contrary, will gradually redeploy themselves in the border strip evacuated by Hezbollah. They are authorized to send between 1,000 and 2,000 men to the South immediately, then up to 6,000 men over the next six months.
The Lebanese army announced this on Wednesday morning “takes[re] the measures necessary to complete its deployment in the South and to implement its missions in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon [Finul] ».
The number of peacekeepers must increase
Since the start of the Israeli offensive in southern Lebanon at the end of September, UNIFIL has been virtually unable to carry out its mandate. With this ceasefire agreement, the approximately 10,000 peacekeepers can be redeployed along the blue line.
The truce agreement provides in particular for increasing the number of peacekeeping forces. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot clarified on Wednesday morning that the 700 French soldiers of the French UNIFIL contingent, already present in Lebanon, will play “an important role”.
A monitoring committee will be created
To avoid a repetition of the scenario of the previous war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006 and to ensure that the agreement is respected by the parties, a monitoring committee will be created, composed of five countries and chaired by the United States. It will also include France, in addition to an already existing structure, the tripartite committee (Lebanon, Israel and the United Nations), which has become inoperative since the beginning of the war.
Israeli army and Hezbollah on alert
According to Joe Biden, the agreement was aimed at leading to the permanent cessation of hostilities between the two sides. Despite the signing of this truce, Hezbollah has assured that it will continue to fight Israel as long as the offensive in Gaza continues.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Tuesday evening that the duration of the ceasefire would depend “about what will happen in Lebanon”. “We maintain complete freedom of military action”added: “If Hezbollah violates the agreement and tries to rearm, we will attack”. The Israeli army said this on Wednesday morning «do it[r] consequentially “ of the agreement in southern Lebanon, saying however “in high defensive readiness”in case “viola[ion] of the ceasefire agreement.
The announcement of the agreement also came in a climate of still high tension, at the end of a day in which Israel bombed the center of Beirut and the southern suburbs, a stronghold of Hezbollah’s campaign, as never before since it took power. against the movement in the neighboring country on 23 September, and then began ground operations in the south on 30 September. In the evening the Shiite movement also claimed responsibility for the shooting towards northern Israel and the launch of drones “sensitive military objectives” in Tel Aviv.
How will the international community monitor the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel?
Em>” of the ceasefire occurs.
the ceasefire agreement marks a significant step towards restoring stability in the region after months of conflict. The commitment from the United States and France to oversee the implementation of the terms, alongside the establishment of a monitoring committee, illustrates the international community’s vested interest in preventing future hostilities. However, the lingering tensions between Hezbollah and Israel, especially regarding ongoing military actions in Gaza, maintain a precarious environment where the potential for renewed conflict remains high.