Highlights
- The Israeli security cabinet is set to approve the US ceasefire plan.
- Lebanese sources report that Biden and Macron are expected to announce the deal.
- Israel has launched new airstrikes on Beirut suburbs.
- Officials state that any deal will maintain Israel’s freedom of operation.
Israel intensified airstrikes in Beirut on Tuesday as its security cabinet discussed a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah in Lebanon, which could take effect as soon as Wednesday. A senior Israeli official and Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib expressed optimism that the deal could be reached, potentially ending a conflict that has killed thousands since the Gaza war erupted last year.
Despite the potential for an imminent diplomatic breakthrough, hostilities continued as Israel significantly increased its airstrikes in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon, with health authorities reporting at least 18 deaths.
Hezbollah parliament member Hassan Fadlallah described the situation as “dangerous, sensitive hours” as Lebanon awaited a possible ceasefire announcement.
As Israel’s security cabinet met to discuss the deal, which a senior Israeli official indicated was likely to be approved, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that he would speak on Tuesday evening at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT). A government official confirmed that the cabinet meeting had already begun.
Israeli approval of the deal would clear the way for a ceasefire declaration by U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron, according to four senior Lebanese sources who spoke to Reuters on Monday.
The ceasefire could take effect on Wednesday morning, initiating a 60-day truce, said a Western diplomat.
However, there was no indication that a truce in Lebanon would accelerate a ceasefire or hostage-release agreement in Gaza, where Israel continues its battle with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The agreement requires Israeli troops to withdraw from southern Lebanon, while Lebanon’s army will deploy in the region, according to officials. Hezbollah will also end its armed presence along the border south of the Litani River.
Bou Habib stated that the Lebanese army would be prepared to deploy at least 5,000 troops in southern Lebanon as Israeli forces pull out. He also mentioned that the United States could assist in rebuilding infrastructure destroyed by Israeli strikes.
Israel demands strict U.N. enforcement of any eventual ceasefire with Lebanon and will maintain “zero tolerance” for any violations, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday.
BARRAGE
Israeli warplanes conducted repeated airstrikes across Beirut on Tuesday, primarily targeting the southern suburbs, a stronghold of Iran-backed Hezbollah.
In one cluster of strikes, Israel’s military reported hitting 20 targets in just 120 seconds, killing at least seven people and injuring 37, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
For the first time, Israel also issued advance warnings for strikes in central Beirut, marking a significant escalation of its campaign in the capital. The warnings caused panic among residents, with some fleeing north.
Additional strikes targeted Tyre in the south and Baalbek in the east.
Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee stated that the air force was conducting a “widespread attack” on Hezbollah targets throughout the city.
Hezbollah continued to fire rockets into Israel and had previously warned that it would retaliate against strikes on central Beirut by targeting Tel Aviv. Sirens sounded in northern Israel, and the Israeli military reported identifying five projectiles launched from Lebanon.
On Sunday, Hezbollah fired around 250 rockets in one of its heaviest barrages to date. The northern Israeli city of Nahariya also came under rocket fire overnight.
Israel Will Retain the Ability to Strike, Says Envoy
Since September, Israel has dealt Hezbollah significant blows, killing its leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and other commanders, while heavily targeting areas of Lebanon under the group’s influence.
“Regarding the ceasefire, I think it will be implemented. Both sides are tired,” said Selim Ayoub, a 37-year-old mechanic from Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Diplomatic efforts to end the fighting have focused on restoring a ceasefire based on U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the last major war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, stated on Monday that Israel would retain the ability to strike southern Lebanon under any agreement. Lebanon has opposed granting Israel this right, with Lebanese officials asserting that such language is not included in the draft proposal.
Two Israeli officials told Reuters that Israel has a side agreement with the U.S., allowing it to take action in Lebanon against “imminent threats.”
DEATH AND DESTRUCTION
Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel stated that while Israel has other options to dismantle Hezbollah in Lebanon, it prefers to pursue a diplomatic solution if possible.
Over the past year, more than 3,750 people have been killed in Lebanon, and over one million have been displaced, according to Lebanon’s health ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its data.
A ceasefire would allow 60,000 people to return to their homes in northern Israel, which they evacuated after Hezbollah began firing rockets in support of Hamas a day after the group’s October 7, 2023, assault.
Israel claims it targets military sites in Lebanon and Gaza while taking measures to reduce civilian casualties. It accuses Hezbollah, like Hamas in Gaza, of using civilians as cover, a claim the group denies.
