The Japan Times - Netanyahu seeks ceasefire after two months of war in Lebanon

The United States, European Union, United Nations and G7 have all pushed for a halt to the fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah after more than a year of cross-border fire and two months of all-out war in Lebanon.

In a televised address, Netanyahu said he planned to bring the US-brokered truce proposal to his security cabinet for a vote as soon as this evening, adding: "The length of the ceasefire depends on what happens in Lebanon."

The prime minister's announcement followed the heaviest day of raids on Beirut -- including a spate of strikes in the city's centre -- since Israel stepped up its air campaign in Lebanon in late September before sending in ground troops.

Pressure for Israel to accept a deal had been steadily mounting, with G7 foreign ministers on Tuesday calling for an "immediate ceasefire".

After Netanyahu's speech, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati demanded in a statement that the international community "act swiftly" to ensure the truce's immediate implementation.

US news outlet Axios had reported that a draft agreement included a 60-day transition period.

During that time, Israeli forces would withdraw, the Lebanese army would deploy along the border and Hezbollah would pull its heavy weapons back north of the Litani River, around 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the frontier, Axios said.

A US-led committee would oversee implementation, with provisions allowing Israel to act against imminent threats if Lebanese forces fail to intervene.

Netanyahu said in his speech that Israel would maintain "full" freedom to act, even after a ceasefire.

A truce in Lebanon, he said, would also permit Israel to redirect its efforts back to Gaza, where it has been at war with Hezbollah ally Hamas since October of last year.

"When Hezbollah is out of the picture, Hamas is left alone in the fight. Our pressure on it will intensify," Netanyahu said.

The agreement would also enable "focusing on the Iranian threat" and give Israel's military time to resupply, he added.

Tehran is the main backer of both Hezbollah and Hamas, as well as other regional proxies that profess to be at war with Israel.

Iran itself has fired two barrages of missiles and drones at Israel since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, most of which were intercepted by Israel or its allies.

The ceasefire deal has faced some opposition from within Netanyahu's own coalition, with far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir warning a ceasefire would be a "historic missed opportunity to eradicate Hezbollah".

- 'Belt of fire' -

Netanyahu's announcement followed a flurry of strikes on central Beirut on Tuesday as well as Hezbollah's bastion the southern suburbs.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported that three strikes hit the central Nweiri neighbourhood and destroyed a "four-storey building housing displaced people". The health ministry said the first strike killed seven people and wounded 37.

"We were blown away and the walls fell on top of us," said Rola Jaafar, who lives in the building opposite.

Hezbollah lawmaker Amin Sherri, speaking to reporters at the scene of the first Nweiri strike, accused Israel of "seeking revenge on supporters of the resistance and on all Lebanese" ahead of a ceasefire.

The Israeli army warned residents of four neighbourhoods of central Beirut to evacuate their homes, the first such warnings it had issued for the city centre in two months of war.

A strike hit the popular shopping district of Hamra, minutes after Netanyahu's speech.

The NNA said that Israeli strikes had created "a belt of fire" around Beirut's southern suburbs.

The Israeli military said it had attacked Hezbollah targets in Beirut, including "components of Hezbollah's financial system", as well as many others in south Lebanon

Its troops had also "engaged in close-quarters combat with terrorists" and destroyed hidden weapons caches during ground raids in the Litani River region.

- 'Serious mistake' -

The war in Lebanon followed nearly a year of limited cross-border exchanges of fire begun by Hezbollah.

The Lebanese group said it was acting in support of Hamas after the Palestinian group's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which sparked the war in Gaza.

Lebanon says at least 3,823 people have been killed in the country since October 2023, most of them in the past several weeks.

On the Israeli side, the hostilities with Hezbollah have killed at least 82 soldiers and 47 civilians, authorities say.

The initial exchanges forced tens of thousands of Israelis from their homes, and Israeli officials have said they are fighting so they can return safely.

Some northern residents questioned whether that would be possible under a ceasefire.

"In my opinion, it would be a serious mistake to sign an agreement as long as Hezbollah has not been completely eliminated," said Maryam Younnes, 29, a student from Maalot-Tarshiha.

Some demonstrators had gathered with placards and flags outside of the Israeli defence ministry in Tel Aviv on Tuesday evening to protest against a ceasefire deal.

- School hit in Gaza -

Sustained efforts this year by mediators to secure a truce and hostage-release deal in the Gaza war have failed.

But US Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested that a ceasefire in Lebanon could change that, telling reporters that "by de-escalating tensions in the region, it can also help us to end the conflict in Gaza".

The civil defence agency in the devastated Palestinian territory said Tuesday that 22 people were killed in Israeli shelling and strikes, including 11 killed in an attack on a school housing the displaced.

Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel last year resulted in the deaths of 1,207 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed 44,249 people in Gaza, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.

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S.Yamada--JT