Israel and Lebanon Agree on Ceasefire, What is Known So Far?
Israel and Lebanon have agreed to renew a fragile ceasefire and establish several ‘pilot’ security zones within Lebanese territory, where Hezbollah members will be prohibited from operating, the United States Department of State announced. The agreement is contingent upon the ‘total cessation’ of attacks from the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, alongside several other conditions.
This move follows Israeli strikes that killed at least nine people in southern Lebanon on Wednesday (03/0_6), and subsequent rocket fire from Hezbollah into northern Israel, testing the fragile ceasefire originally agreed upon last April. Both nations have expressed a commitment to ‘reject any attempts, by either state or non-state actors, to hold Lebanon’s future hostage.’
The agreement, reached after a fourth round of US-mediated negotiations in Washington, depends on the ‘evacuation of all [Hezbollah] personnel’ from areas in southern Lebanon currently under Israeli control, spanning from the Litani River to the border. The US has stated it will assist in directing the formation of ‘pilot zones where the Lebanese Armed Forces will hold full control of the territory, without the presence of non-state actors.’ Further details regarding the operational mechanics of these zones have not been disclosed.
This announcement follows a partial ceasefire agreed upon on Monday (01/06), which, according to the Lebanese government, would see Israel refrain from bombing Beirut in exchange for Hezbollah ceasing attacks on Israel. Both parties are scheduled to reconvene on 22 June to continue negotiations with the aim of reaching a comprehensive agreement.
Hezbollah has yet to provide an official comment regarding the announcement. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters prior to the announcement that he hoped the negotiations would result in an ‘action plan towards security in [Lebanon], independent of Hezbollah.’
The partial ceasefire was tested this week by strikes from both Israeli and Hezbollah forces. The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported that fatalities from Wednesday’s Israeli strikes included two medical personnel after their ambulance was hit in the Chehour region of southern Lebanon. Meanwhile, the Israeli military stated it had intercepted a drone and two projectiles crossing the border.
Hezbollah stated it had targeted Israeli troop concentrations. Ahead of Wednesday night’s announcement, Israeli leaders warned that their military would continue strikes against Hezbollah bases on the southern outskirts of Beirut, known as Dahieh, if the group launched cross-border attacks into northern Israel.
While the Lebanese government stated that Hezbollah had confirmed its acceptance of the partial ceasefire, political council member Mahmoud Qamati told the BBC on Tuesday: ‘There is no ceasefire agreement; there is only protection for Dahieh.’ Qamati also asserted that Hezbollah would not be bound by any commitments resulting from the Lebanon-Israel negotiations in Washington, stating that the group does not recognise the outcomes of the talks.
Lebanon became embroiled in the conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran on 2 March, when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel in retaliation for an Israeli strike that killed Iran’s top leader. Israel subsequently responded with an aerial campaign across Lebanon and a ground invasion of southern territories. Hezbollah, a Shia Muslim political and military group, is considered a terrorist organisation by Israel, the UK, and the United States.
The US-mediated ceasefire from 16 April failed to halt the fighting. Last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Israeli military to intensify attacks on Hezbollah and advance further into Lebanon in response to drone and rocket attacks on northern Israeli communities. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, at least 3,516 people have been killed in Lebanon since the war began, and the UN reports that over one million people have been displaced.