Israel agrees to ceasefire with Hezbollah, Lebanon demands for immediate action

The ceasefire comes after weeks of Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon. Photo / Getty Images

• Israel has agreed to a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah in Lebanon after weeks of negotiations.
• The US-led proposal includes Hezbollah leaving southern Lebanon and Israel withdrawing its forces.
• The truce is set to be announced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following a meeting with Cabinet.

Israel has agreed a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah in Lebanon after weeks of negotiations with the US and other Western allies.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Prime Minister, is set to announce the truce in a televised address after a meeting of his Cabinet.

The US-led proposal involves Hezbollah leaving southern Lebanon and Israel withdrawing its forces from the country.

It came after Israel launched a day of airstrikes on Beirut as the country’s security Cabinet convened to discuss the proposal.

Hezbollah started attacking Israel on October 8 in solidarity with Hamas following its October 7 massacre. Fighters have since fired at least 13,000 missiles, drones and rockets, killing 75 people.

Over the course of the conflict, Israel has launched thousands of airstrikes and attacks against Hezbollah across Lebanon, killing more than 3500.

Netanyahu says Israel ‘will intensify’ pressure on Hamas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that a ceasefire with Lebanese militant group Hezbollah to be adopted in the evening would allow Israel to “intensify” pressure on Hamas and focus on the “Iranian threat”.

“When Hezbollah is out of the picture, Hamas is left alone in the fight. Our pressure on it will intensify,” Netanyahu said, adding that a ceasefire would also enable “focusing on the Iranian threat” and give the military time to resupply.

Lebanon PM demands ‘immediate’ implementation of ceasefire

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati demanded in a statement on Tuesday that the international community “act swiftly” to halt Israeli aggression “and implement an immediate ceasefire”.

His comments came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an address that his security cabinet would agree “this evening” on a truce deal in its war against Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Mikati said the intense wave of Israeli air strikes on Beirut on Tuesday “reaffirms that the Israeli enemy has no regard for any law or consideration”.

“The international community is called upon to act swiftly to stop this aggression and implement an immediate ceasefire,” he said in his statement, which was issued before a strike hit the central Hamra commercial district

-With AFP