Israel’s security cabinet convened yesterday to discuss a possible Lebanon ceasefire, a senior Israeli official said, more than six weeks into a war with Hizbollah that spiralled out of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran.
US President Donald Trump earlier said the war with Iran could end soon, telling the world to watch out for an “amazing two days”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government was under heavy pressure from Washington to reach a ceasefire in Lebanon, another senior Israeli official said. While the security cabinet was meeting, however, Netanyahu released a video statement in which he said the Israeli military continued to strike at Hizbollah and was about to ‘overcome’ the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil.
Hizbollah fighters are holed up inside Bint Jbeil, a stronghold of the group and a gateway to surrounding villages.
Netanyahu said he had instructed the military to continue reinforcing the security zone in southern Lebanon while at the same time negotiating a peace deal with Lebanon. Israel and Lebanon held rare talks between government envoys in Washington on Tuesday.
“These negotiations have not taken place for more than 40 years. They are happening now because we are very strong, and countries are coming to us – not only Lebanon,” Netanyahu said.
Israel’s offensive in Lebanon began on March 2 after the Iran-backed Hizbollah opened fire at Israel in support of Tehran, reigniting war between the foes just 15 months after their last major conflict.
The war has killed more than 2,000 people in Lebanon and forced 1.2 million from their homes, Lebanese authorities say. The Israeli military has sent troops into the south, where it has vowed to establish a buffer zone and maintain control over territory all the way to the Litani River, which meets the Mediterranean about 30km north of Israel’s border.
“I have instructed that the entire area of southern Lebanon up to the Litani River become a no-go zone for Hizbollah operatives,” the Israeli military’s chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, said during a visit to southern Lebanon.
Hizbollah attacks have killed two Israeli civilians, while 13 soldiers have died in Lebanon since March 2, Israel says.
Two senior Lebanese officials said they had been briefed that efforts were underway for a ceasefire. One of them said the US had been pressuring Israel to work towards a ceasefire in Lebanon, including during the talks between the Israeli and Lebanese government envoys in Washington.
Trump has urged Israel to scale back attacks in Lebanon, apparently to avoid undermining the ceasefire with Iran.
The Trump administration had not asked for a ceasefire, but the US president “would welcome the end of hostilities in Lebanon as part of a peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon”, a senior administration official said.
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