Israel agrees to ceasefire with Hezbollah

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to bring a US-brokered proposal for a ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon to his government for approval.

Netanyahu, who stated this in a televised address, said he would put a ceasefire outline to ministers.

He, however, did not say how long the truce would last, but said the length of the ceasefire depends on what happens in Lebanon.

“If Hezbollah violates the agreement and attempts to rearm, we will strike.

“In full coordination with the United States, we are maintaining full military freedom of action,” Netanyahu said.

Even as Netanyahu spoke about the ceasefire, the Israeli military carried out multiple strikes on the heart of Beirut, while the army said some 15 projectiles had entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon.

The war in Lebanon escalated after nearly a year of limited cross-border exchanges of fire begun by Hezbollah, which said it was acting in support of Hamas after its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which sparked the war in Gaza.

The war has killed at least 3,823 people in Lebanon since October 2023, according to the health ministry, most of them since September.

On the Israeli side, the hostilities have killed at least 82 soldiers and 47 civilians, authorities say.

Netanyahu said the ceasefire would allow Israel to focus on the Iranian threat and ramp up its fight against Hamas in Gaza.

“With Hezbollah out of the picture, Hamas is left on its own.

“We will increase our pressure on Hamas and that will help us in our sacred mission of releasing our hostages,” he said.

During last year’s Hamas attack, militants took 251 hostages, of whom 97 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the army has declared dead.

Israel agrees to ceasefire with Hezbollah