Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to a ceasefire with Iranian backed Hezbollah Tuesday night, but with a number of conditions. It was approved by the Israeli Knesset and will go into effect at 4 a.m. local time.
In an address to the country, Netanyahu explained that while the fighting will stop, the Israel Defense Forces maintain the ability to strike at any moment should Hezbollah continue their rocket and missile attacks. Since October 7, 2023, thousands of attacks have been launched by the terrorist organization, forcing 80,000 Israeli citizens to flee their homes.
"With the United States' full understanding, we maintain full freedom of military action. 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.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) November 26, 2024
"The length of the ceasefire depends on what happens in Lebanon. We will enforce the agreement and respond forcefully to any violation. We will continue united until victory."
Full remarks >>https://t.co/43nIjRoJQv pic.twitter.com/KiwT3ZKcog
“As I am sure you’re all tracking, we’re in the final stages of securing a ceasefire agreement for Lebanon. We’re not there yet, but I believe we are in the final stages," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier in the day about the agreement. "As we speak, both Israel and Hezbollah have been conducting reciprocal strikes that have been seen as the last tranche of strikes before the expected ceasefire agreement tomorrow."
Interceptions seen in the Sky over Northwestern Israel, as the Israeli Air Force states that 3 Surface-to-Surface Missiles fired from Lebanon were Shot Down. pic.twitter.com/Pk7FTcvzFO
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) November 26, 2024
The ceasefire agreement comes after more than a year of attacks from Lebanon. Over the past six months, Israel took out a Hezbollah's entire chain-of-command in a series of precision strikes. It also comes in the wake of Israel's pager attack, which severely injured and killed thousands of Hezbollah fighters in September -- Iran's Ambassador to Lebanon suffered an explosion to his hand and eyes.
The IDF has eliminated the last terrorist leader on the Hezbollah org chart. pic.twitter.com/tNJyXxfIN8
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) November 4, 2024