Menu

Jewish Federations of North America 11.27.24

November 27, 2024 - October 7 War, Day 418

Special Edition: Ceasefire in the North

At 4 am Israel Time today (9 pm ET last night) a ceasefire came into effect. The ceasefire is aimed at halting the fighting in Israel’s north. In the hours since, the situation has remained largely quiet, sparking hope that the agreement will hold. Read our statement here and join our webinar today at 2:30 pm ET to learn more about the ceasefire. Register here. 

We will also host a webinar on Monday, December 1 at 2 pm ET on the International Criminal Court’s issuing arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others. Register here.

The Agreement

The newly-signed deal was facilitated by the United States and France, and required the agreement of Israel, Hezbollah, Lebanon and the United Nations. 

The agreement itself covers considerable ground. It stipulates that: 

  • All fighting between Israel and Hezbollah will cease for a at least a 60-day period, including an end both to Hezbollah attacks on Israel and Israeli attacks in Lebanon 
  • Both sides will recognize UN Security Council Resolution 1701 that ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War. This means that the Lebanese Army will be the only armed group in southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah will redeploy to the north, beyond the Litani River. This significantly hampers their ability to attack Israel. 
  • As Israel gradually redeploys its troops and positions in southern Lebanon, it will be replaced by the Lebanese Army, which will also assume control of all roads and passages leading to the country’s border area with Israel. 
  • Israel and Lebanon will maintain the right to self-defense.  
  • Any sale, supply or production of weapons in Lebanon will be under the sole supervision of the Lebanese Army, meaning that Hezbollah cannot rearm.  
  • All unauthorized weapons production facilities and military bases in Lebanon will be dismantled and all unauthorized weapons will be confiscated.  
  • Israel and Lebanon will present reports of any infractions of these obligations to an international committee and to UNIFIL (the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon). 

In addition, a parallel deal (a “side note”) was written up as a letter of guarantee from the US to Israel. It states that: 

  • The US recognizes Israel’s right to act against all threats emanating from within Lebanon’s territory. 
  • Therefore, Israel maintains the right to operate at any time against any Hezbollah infractions in the southern part of Lebanon. In other parts of the country, Israel will maintain the right to operate against the development of potential threats. If the Lebanese government and its armed forces do not deal with those threats. Israel will inform the US before taking any such action.  
  • Israel and the US agree to share with the Lebanese Army all intelligence information regarding Hezbollah infractions of the main agreement. 
  • The US is committed to cooperating with Israel to halt Iran’s efforts at destabilization in Lebanon, including preventing weapons transfers. 
  • Israeli Air Force flights over Lebanon will  be conducted only in order to gather intelligence and shall not break the sound barrier.  

Ceasefire

  • In the hours leading up to the ceasefire, intense fighting continued with both sides attempting to “score points.”  Israel tried to destroy as much terror infrastructure as possible in the remaining time before the ceasefire took hold, while also sending a message of caution to Hezbollah, should it consider violating the agreement. Media reports suggested that Hezbollah, for its part, was determined to show its supporters that it could continue fighting until the end. 
  • On Tuesday night, hundreds of rockets and other projectiles were fired at Israel, sending millions of Israelis running to shelters once again. No major injuries or damage was reported. 
  • Among the 330 targets hit by Israel leading up to the 4 am deadline was a major terror facility in Balbeq that is believed to be Hezbollah’s main production site for surface-to-surface missiles. The facility was destroyed by over 100 IDF bombs. Israel’s Channel 12 called the attack “a dramatic final act,” and reported that, unbeknownst to Hezbollah, which believed that the location of the site was secret,  the IDF was “saving” the target for the final hours of the war as a  future deterrent to the terror group. 
  • Also, last night, the Operations Officer of Hezbollah’s Aerial Unit (responsible for launching UAVs and cruise missiles against Israel) was eliminated in an airstrike. This occurred a short time before the ceasefire began. 
  • Since 4 am Israel Time, the ceasefire has largely held, with no reports of rocket fire. At one point after the agreement was in place, suspicious figures approached an IDF position near the border and troops opened fire to push them back.  
  • The Lebanese army has already announced that it will increase deployment of soldiers in southern Lebanon to 10,000 troops. 
  • At this initial stage of the ceasefire, it is much too early for Israel to consider returning evacuees to their homes along Israel’s northern border, and many of those who have been internally displaced expressed skepticism that they will return in the immediate future. In Lebanon, however, people who had evacuated from the country’s south in recent months began returning to the region almost immediately after the ceasefire came into effect.  At around 4 am. local time, dozens of vehicles were seen leaving Sidon, south of Beirut, en route for southern Lebanon. 

Reactions

  • While some in Israel are skeptical of the new agreement, arguing that Hezbollah should have been thoroughly defeated before a deal was cut, the ceasefire passed the Israeli cabinet easily. Ten members voted for the agreement, with only Internal Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir voting against. Ben-Gvir called the deal “a grave mistake” and accused the government of halting military operations prematurely. “Hezbollah is battered and eager for a ceasefire; we must not stop,” he said. 
  • In his televised statement last night (watch the footage and read the translated text here), Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu listed three main reasons for signing the agreement: the need to focus attention on Iran; the need to give IDF fighters a respite and rearm (including a need to replenish ammunition and military equipment); and the need to separate the issues of Lebanon and Gaza, which could leave Hamas feeling alone and isolated, making a hostage deal easier to achieve. 
  • Some Hamas officials have already hinted that the time may be ripe for a new hostage and ceasefire deal with Israel. 
  • US President Joe Biden spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu by phone to confirm the deal before announcing the agreement from the White House. In his remarks, President Biden reiterated US support for Israel’s right to defend itself, including against Hezbollah, should the terror group break the ceasefire agreement. The President also spoke of his hope that the Abraham Accords could be expanded, particularly to include Saudi Arabia. 
  • Israeli media have reported that the US put pressure on Israel to accept the current deal, threatening to lower its level of support of the Jewish state at the United Nations, if a deal was not reached.  
  • Israel’s President Isaac Herzog also commented on the deal and thanked US President Joe Biden. 
  • Mayors of northern Israeli towns have had extremely negative reactions to the ceasefire, viewing it as going from “total victory to total surrender.” Read more here. 
  • The Israeli public expressed mixed emotions about the deal, according to an Israeli TV News poll, with 37 percent of respondents saying they supported the terms of the announced deal, 32% saying that they opposed them and 31% who said they didn’t know. Among supporters of the governing coalition, just 20% said they supported the ceasefire deal, while 45% said they opposed it, and 35% said they didn’t know. 

For Further Reading