Israel-Lebanon latest: Hamas ‘ready’ for own truce as Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire begins
Israel warns evacuated residents of Lebanon to not head home yet
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Your support makes all the difference.The Hamas group says it is ready to reach a ceasefire in Gaza with Israel after a truce between Benjamin Netanyahu and the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon began on Wednesday.
“We have informed mediators in Egypt, Qatar and Turkey that Hamas is ready for a ceasefire agreement and a serious deal to exchange prisoners,” a senior official of Hamas told AFP.
US president Joe Biden on Tuesday said Washington will push for a ceasefire in Gaza in the coming days and secure the release of hostages.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon began a day after Israel carried out its most intense wave of airstrikes in Beirut since the start of the conflict, killing at least 42 people across the country.
There were no immediate reports of alleged violations of the truce, which began at 4am (local time) and there were signs of celebration in Beirut.
However, Israel has warned residents evacuated from southern Lebanon not to head home yet due to the ongoing military deployment in the region.
The ceasefire comes after more than a year of near-daily rocket fire, ferocious airstrikes and on-the-ground skirmishes between Israeli forces and the militant group across Lebanon.
Israel says it will ‘attack with might’ if Hezbollah breaks ceasefire agreement
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that Israel will respond ‘with might’ if the Iran-backed group violates the ceasefire.
“If Hezbollah breaks the agreement and tries to rearm, we will attack,” Mr Netanyahu said.
“For every violation, we will attack with might.”
His office said Israel appreciated the US efforts in securing the deal but “reserves the right to act against every threat to its security”.
Ceasefire deal approved by Israel’s security cabinet
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet has approved a ceasefire deal with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, clearing the way for the truce to take effect.
The late-night vote came shortly before President Joe Biden was expected to announce details of the deal in Washington. Biden called the ceasefire in Lebanon “good news,” but it’s not clear how the truce will affect the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
In the hours before Israel agreed to the ceasefire, residents of Beirut endured the most intense wave of Israeli strikes on the capital and its southern suburbs since the start of the 13-month war.
Israel was apparently signaling it intended to pummel the country before any ceasefire takes hold. Hezbollah also fired rockets into Israel, triggering air raid sirens across the country’s north.
Israel asks evacuated residents of Lebanon not to return yet
Israel has warned residents evacuated from southern Lebanon not to head home yet due to the ongoing military deployment in the region.
Residents were warned in the first half-hour of the ceasefire, which began a short while ago at 4am (local time) today, a day after Israel carried out its most intense wave of airstrikes in Beirut.
There appeared to be lingering disagreement over whether Israel would have the right to strike Hezbollah if it believed the militants had violated the agreement, which Israel insisted was part of the deal but Lebanese and Hezbollah officials have rejected.
Ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah begins
The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants began early this morning as a region on edge wondered whether it would hold. The ceasefire announced Tuesday is a major step toward ending nearly 14 months of fighting sparked by the ongoing war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.
Watch: Biden calls for peace in Gaza after Lebanon ceasefire announced
Israeli strikes hit north Lebanon crossings with Syria for first time, minister says
Israeli strikes late on Tuesday targeted Lebanon’s three northern border crossings with Syria for the first time, Lebanon’s transport minister Ali Hamieh told Reuters.
The strikes came moments after US President Joe Biden announced that a ceasefire would come into effect at 4am local time (2am GMT) on Wednesday to halt hostilities between Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and Israel.
Hamieh said it was not immediately clear whether the roads had been cut off as a result of the strikes. Israeli raids on Lebanon’s eastern crossings in recent weeks had already sealed off those routes into Syria.
Syrian state media Sana had said Israeli strikes targeted the northern crossings between Syria and Lebanon but it was not immediately clear what side of the border was hit.
Syrian state TV reported that 10 people were injured, including three critically, in an Israeli strike on the Arida border crossing, with the wounded transported to nearby hospitals, while casualties were also reported in a separate Israeli strike on the Dabousieh border crossing with Lebanon.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment but has previously stated that it targets what it says are Iran-linked sites in Syria as part of a broader campaign to curb the influence of Iran and its ally Hezbollah in the region.
What to know about ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah
What to know about ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah
A ceasefire deal that could end more than a year of cross-border fighting between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group won backing from Israeli leaders
Read the full story: Israel approves ceasefire deal with Hezbollah
Israeli ministers approve ceasefire deal with Hezbollah in Lebanon
The ceasefire comes into effect at 4am on Wednesday and brings to an end more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah that’s sparked a humanitarian crisis in Lebanon and pushed the Middle East to the brink
Biden to push for Gaza ceasefire after Israel-Lebanon deal
US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday his administration was pushing for an elusive ceasefire in Gaza and that it is possible that Saudi Arabia and Israel could normalize relations.
The US “will make another push, with Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and others, to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza,” he said.
Biden also wants the hostages released and to end the war without Hamas in power. Biden made the comments as he announced an Israel-Lebanon ceasefire at the White House.
He added the US “remained prepared to conclude a set of historic deals with Saudi Arabia, to include a security pact and economic assurances, together with a credible pathway for establishing a Palestinian state and the full normalisation of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.”
Biden says Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire will take effect Wednesday morning
A ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah will take effect on Wednesday after both sides accepted an agreement brokered by the United States and France, US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday.
The accord, clearing the way for an end to a conflict that has killed thousands of people since it was ignited by the Gaza war last year, was designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities, Biden said in remarks at the White House.
Fighting across the Israel-Lebanon border will end at 4am local time (2am GMT), Biden said.
“This is designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities,” he said. “What is left of Hezbollah and other terrorist organisations will not be allowed to threaten the security of Israel again.
Israel will gradually withdraw its forces over a period of 60 days as Lebanon’s army takes control of territory near its border with Israel to ensure that Hezbollah does not rebuild its infrastructure there, Biden said.
“Civilians on both sides will soon be able to safely return to their communities,” he said.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib earlier said the Lebanese army would be ready to have at least 5,000 troops deployed in southern Lebanon as Israeli troops withdraw.
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