By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday evening announced that he will present a proposal for ceasefire with Hezbollah, which was brokered by the US to his government for approval.
In a televised address, Netanyahu said he would put “a ceasefire outline” to ministers “this evening” (Tuesday).
He did not say how long the truce would last, noting “the length of the ceasefire depends on what happens in Lebanon”.
“If Hezbollah violates the agreement and attempts to rearm, we will strike,” he warned.
Alongside France, US a key supporter of Israel, had led ceasefire efforts for Lebanon.
“In full coordination with the United States, we are maintaining full military freedom of action,” Netanyahu said, outlining the seven-front war Israel says it faces in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Iran.
At the same period Netanyahu spoke about the ceasefire, the Israeli military was reportedly carrying out multiple strikes on heart of Beirut while the army also alleged some 15 projectiles had entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon.
The war in Lebanon escalated after nearly a year of exchanges of fire, which was started by Hezbollah.
The militant group said it was acting in support of Hamas, Gaza-backed militant group after its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which sparked the war in Gaza.
The war has killed at least 3,823 people in Lebanon since October 2023, according to the health ministry, most of them since September.
On the Israeli side, the hostilities have killed at least 82 soldiers and 47 civilians, authorities say.
Netanyahu said the ceasefire would allow Israel to focus on “the Iranian threat” and ramp up its fight against Hamas in Gaza.
“With Hezbollah out of the picture, Hamas is left on its own,” he said.
“We will increase our pressure on Hamas and that will help us in our sacred mission of releasing our hostages”.
During the October 7, 2023 attack, militants took 251 hostages, of whom 97 are still held in Gaza, including 34 which the army has declared dead.
