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Israel’s security cabinet has voted to approve a ceasefire deal in Lebanon, an Israeli official told CNN, potentially ending more than a year of cross-border clashes with Hezbollah and months of full-scale war that has killed thousands.
The Israeli military also issued a wave of evacuation warnings, a sign that it is seeking to punish Hezbollah until the final moments before the truce takes effect.
For the first time in the conflict, Israeli ground troops reached parts of Lebanon’s Litani River, a focal point of the emerging agreement.
In a televised statement, Netanyahu said he would present the ceasefire to cabinet ministers later Tuesday local time (Wednesday morning AEDT), marking the end of nearly 14 months of fighting.
He listed a series of achievements against Israel’s enemies in the region in recent months. He said a truce with Hezbollah would further isolate Hamas in Gaza and allow Israel to shift its focus to Iran, Hezbollah’s backer and Israel’s biggest threat in the region.
He vowed to deal a heavy blow to Hezbollah if it violated the agreement.
“If Hezbollah violates the agreement and tries to rearm, we will attack,” he said.
“For any violation, we will attack with force.
It was unclear when the truce would take effect, and the exact terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The deal does not affect Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, which shows no signs of ending.
Evacuation warnings covered many areas, including parts of Beirut that had not previously been targeted.
The warnings, combined with fears that Israel was stepping up attacks ahead of a ceasefire, sent residents fleeing.
Traffic was blocked and mattresses were tied to some cars. Dozens of people, some in pajamas, gathered in a central square, huddled under blankets or standing around fires as Israeli drones buzzed loudly overhead.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah continued its rocket fire, sounding air raid sirens in northern Israel.
Lebanese officials said Hezbollah also supported the deal. If approved by all parties, the deal would be an important step toward ending the Israel-Hezbollah war, which has fueled tensions in the region and raised fears of an even wider conflict between Israel and Hezbollah’s patron, Iran.
The agreement calls for a two-month initial ceasefire and would require Hezbollah to end its armed presence across a large swath of southern Lebanon while Israeli troops return to their side of the border.
Thousands of Lebanese soldiers and UN peacekeepers will be deployed in the south, and a US-led international panel will monitor compliance by all countries.
But implementation remains a major question mark. Israel has demanded the right to act if Hezbollah violates its obligations.
Lebanese authorities rejected this in the proposal. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz insisted on Tuesday that the military would strike Hezbollah if the UN peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL, did not ensure “effective implementation” of the deal.
Images capture the exact moment an Israeli rocket hits a building in Beirut
“If you don’t act, we will act, and with great force,” Katz said, speaking to UN special envoy Jeanine Hennis-Plashart.
The European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said on Tuesday that Israel’s security concerns had been addressed in the deal, also brokered by France.
“There is no excuse for not implementing the ceasefire. Otherwise, Lebanon will fall apart,” Borrell told reporters in Italy on the sidelines of the Group of Seven meeting.
He said France would participate in the ceasefire implementation committee at Lebanon’s request.
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