Hezbollah were keen for a ceasefire in Lebanon after Israel delivered some major blows over the past couple of months.
Their patrons in Iran also wanted to take the pressure off all of this.
The Israelis were under some pressure from the Americans to do this.
And there’s something else quite telling in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s own statement, saying that this will give Israel a chance to rebuild its weapons-stocks and to concentrate on the war in Gaza.
I think the calculation on the Israeli side is that Hezbollah will now pull back from the border, and the northern border of Israel with Lebanon will be a lot quieter and people on both sides will be able to return to their homes.
But just because Israel and Hezbollah have reached an agreement, that does not mean to say that it is a precursor to a ceasefire in Gaza because the situation in Gaza is way more complicated.
Lebanese politician urges residents to ‘return to your land’
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri called on those displaced by the war to return to their homes, and urged the swift election of a new president.
“I invite you to return to your homes… return to your land,” said Berri, despite warnings to the contrary from Lebanon and Israel’s militaries.
He also called for the country to “quickly elect a president” as political bickering has left Lebanon without a head of state for over two years.
Berri, who negotiated the ceasefire deal with the endorsement of Hezbollah, said the war with Israel had been the “most dangerous phase” his country had endured in its history.
Ceasefire an opportunity for Lebanese army to ‘assert itself’ – former general
Khalil Helou – a former Lebanese army general from Beirut – says the ceasefire deal is an opportunity for the Lebanese army to “assert itself” in southern Lebanon.
Asked how hopeful he is that the deal will hold, Helou says he hopes the army will deploy “once and for all” in southern Lebanon, according to the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701.
“It’s not only a matter of hope, it’s a matter of taking responsibility,” he tells BBC News.
He adds that the Lebanese army was until now facing a dilemma due to successive Lebanese governments recognising Hezbollah’s right to fight Israel, while also trying to stick to Resolution 1701.
“This political schizophrenia put the army in a dilemma that was very difficult to solve or take as a basis for action,” Helou says, adding that the army was “managing the situation on a day-to-day basis”.
Helou says Hezbollah “hijacked” the Lebanese political decision, and did not consult the government or army before entering the war with Israel.
“The Lebanese army is facing an exam. I think that this is a chance for the army to assert itself in south Lebanon,” he says.
Iranian media hail ceasefire as Hezbollah victory
Iran’s media, newspapers and officials on Wednesday hailed the end of Israel’s “aggression” in Lebanon, viewing it as a defeat for Israel and a victory for Lebanese Hezbollah, an armed group backed financially and militarily by Tehran.
Hardline daily papers praised Hezbollah’s military actions over the course of the conflict and predicted a crisis looming for Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu.
The conservative daily Agah said Hezbollah’s strength “disrupted the Zionists’ calculations”, while the newspaper Jaam-e Jam praised “the Resistance” for supposedly forcing the ceasefire to happen. A commentary in Farhikhtegan said Netanyahu was “signing his own death certificate” by agreeing to the deal.
MP Alireza Salimi, a member of parliament’s presidium, celebrated the news saying “the Zionists with all their support from the West lost to Hezbollah”, describing Israel’s move as “an act of desperation”.
Foreign ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, said Iran was “welcoming the news” of the end of Israel’s “aggression against Lebanon”. In a statement, he stressed Iran’s “firm support for the Lebanese government, nation and resistance” and urged the global community to act decisively to ensure peace and stability in the region.
IDF says in another statement it fired at south Lebanon ‘suspects’
published at 12:25
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says that in the “past few hours” it has fired at “suspects” in southern Lebanon.
In a brief statement, its says its forces remain in southern Lebanon and will “actively enforce every violation of the ceasefire agreement”.
It follows an earlier statement – which also came after the ceasefire began – where the IDF said it had fired at a vehicle in southern Lebanon that was travelling “in a zone prohibited for movement in Lebanese territory”.
When the deal was first announced, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country would not hesitate to strike if Hezbollah breaks the terms.
“If Hezbollah violates the agreement and tries to arm itself, we will attack. If it tries to rebuild terrorist infrastructure near the border, we will attack. If it launches a rocket, if it digs a tunnel, if it brings in a truck carrying rockets, we will attack,” Netanyahu said yesterday.
US President Joe Biden supported that view, telling reporters: “If Hezbollah or anyone else breaks the deal and poses a direct threat to Israel, then Israel retains the right to self-defence consistent with international law.”
Thousands make slow return to southern Lebanon
We continue our journey from Beirut to southern Lebanon. We’re progressing – slowly, very slowly – and still have not reached Sidon, the first major city on the coast.
This despite being on the road for more than four hours. Usually, it is a trip that takes 20 minutes, half an hour on busier days. Cars that took different routes are now converging onto the main highway, which is making the traffic worse.
Some are driving on the opposite carriageway. Along the way, there were people distributing bottles of water, groups who had stopped by the road seemed to be celebrating as they waved Hezbollah flags.
One man told us that this, the return of thousands of residents to their home, is proof of their victory in this war – and that the killing of Hezbollah’s former leader Hassan Nasrallah was the only loss they had suffered.
