The situation at a glance Ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah - what you need to know now
After more than a year of war between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia, a ceasefire has been in place since early this morning. An overview of the situation.
27.11.2024, 06:40
27.11.2024, 07:51
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- After more than a year of war between Israel and Hezbollah, a ceasefire brokered by the USA and France has been in force since early this morning.
- The ceasefire will initially apply for two months, during which Hezbollah is to withdraw from the border area and Israeli troops are to withdraw.
- Shortly before the ceasefire came into force, there were still heavy mutual attacks.
After more than a year of war between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia, a ceasefire has been in place since early this morning. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a warning to the militia, which is supported by arch-enemy Iran: "The duration of the ceasefire depends on what happens in Lebanon." The ceasefire was brokered by the USA and France in order to achieve a "permanent cessation of hostilities" in the long term, as US President Joe Biden said. There was initially no reaction from Hezbollah itself to the announcement of the ceasefire.
The first people return
Shortly after the ceasefire came into force, shots of joy could be heard around the Lebanese capital Beirut. The first people to flee from the south of Lebanon made their way back in cars to villages where no Israeli troops are stationed. An Israeli military spokesperson had written in Arabic on X that residents of areas for which evacuation orders had been issued were not allowed to return to their villages for the time being. "With the entry into force of the ceasefire and according to its provisions, (Israeli forces) will remain stationed at positions in the south of Lebanon," the spokesperson wrote.
The Israeli air force was still flying particularly massive attacks on Beirut and the southern suburbs of the city until shortly before the agreed ceasefire came into force at 4:00 a.m. local time (3:00 a.m. CET). The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced that at least ten people had been killed in the attacks in the central districts of Beirut.
Heavy explosions could be heard all over the capital, as a reporter told the German Press Agency during the night. At 4.00 a.m. the explosions and the thundering of the warplanes had then stopped. Hezbollah had also continued to fire rockets into northern Israel, where the sirens sounded again.
Will the ceasefire hold?
According to unconfirmed media reports on the agreement, the Shiite militia will initially withdraw behind the Litani River, around 30 kilometers north of the de facto Israeli-Lebanese border. After that, Israel's ground troops should withdraw from Lebanon within 60 days. In order to prevent the return of Hezbollah fighters, soldiers from the Lebanese army, which is not actually involved in the war, are to be stationed in the border area parallel to the Israeli withdrawal, as reported by a senior representative of the US government.
The US had not negotiated the ceasefire with Hezbollah, but with the Lebanese government, it was said. The latter must now take responsibility for what happens in their country. Whether it will be able to do so in view of the weakness of the Lebanese state is questionable. Lebanon's acting Prime Minister Nadschib Mikati called for the agreement to be implemented immediately. According to the media, the ceasefire is to be monitored by a group of states led by the USA and comprising France, Lebanon, Israel and the UN peacekeeping force Unifil, which has been stationed in Lebanon for years.
Netanyahu warns Hezbollah
The monitoring commission is also supposed to ensure that the militia does not rearm. Israel claims the right to intervene militarily in Lebanon at any time should Hezbollah break the agreement and the Lebanese army and the international group of states remain inactive. "With the full agreement of the USA, we retain full military freedom of action," said Netanyahu. "If Hezbollah violates the agreement and tries to arm itself, we will attack." According to a high-ranking US government representative, Lebanon, as well as Israel, retains the right to self-defense under international law.
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke of an opportunity for Lebanon. "It is important that this ceasefire is respected and that it is permanent," said Macron in a video published on X. The agreement supports the country's sovereignty and heralds "a new beginning for Lebanon", said US President Biden. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock spoke of a "ray of hope for the entire region". Hundreds of thousands of women, children and families in Lebanon can now draw new hope, as can tens of thousands of people from northern Israel, said the Green politician in the evening.
Gaza war continues
According to its own statements, Hezbollah has so far fired at Israel in support of the Islamist Hamas in the still embattled Gaza Strip. Hamas had triggered the Gaza war with the terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, shortly after which shelling from Lebanon began. Originally, Hezbollah, which is allied with Hamas, stated that it only wanted to end its attacks on Israel once a ceasefire had been reached in Gaza. It has now apparently waived this condition.
An end to the war with Hezbollah would leave Hamas isolated in the Gaza Strip, said Netanyahu. "We will increase the pressure on Hamas," he announced in the evening. This could pave the way for an agreement on the release of around 100 hostages who are still believed to be in the Gaza Strip - although it is unclear how many of them are still alive.
Shortly before the start of the ceasefire in the war against Hezbollah, Israel's army announced the killing of another senior member of Hamas. Mumin al-Jabari belonged to the sniper unit of the Hamas brigade in the city of Gaza. He had been hit in a precise attack on a building that had previously been used as a school. The information provided by the Israeli military could not be independently verified.
USA also hopes for ceasefire in Gaza
US President Biden is also campaigning for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. "Just as the Lebanese people deserve a future of security and prosperity, the people of Gaza deserve a future of security and prosperity. They too deserve an end to the fighting," he said.
The USA has been pushing for a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel for weeks. On the Lebanese side, many villages and districts have been reduced to rubble in attacks by the Israeli army. According to the army, a total of around 12,000 targets in Lebanon were bombed.
According to Lebanese figures - which cannot be independently verified and make no distinction between civilians and gunmen - more than 3,700 people were killed and around 15,500 injured. It is estimated that more than 800,000 people were displaced by the fighting in the country, while hundreds of thousands believed themselves to be safer in the neighboring crisis state of Syria and fled there.
During the same period, Hezbollah attacks in Israel resulted in 76 deaths, the majority of them civilians, over 700 injuries and extensive damage to property. However, Israel's missile defense intercepted most of the militia's missiles. Around 60,000 residents of northern Israel were evacuated.
