In a significant development in West Asia, Israel approved a US-brokered ceasefire that aims to end almost 14 months of fighting with the Hezbollah in Lebanon. The ceasefire deal was passed by the national security cabinet voting 10-1 to approve the measure. "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," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in his speech after the agreement.
The agreement comes into effect at midnight (Israel time) on November 27.
"We will complete the task of obliterating Hamas, we will bring home all of our hostages, we will ensure that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel and we will return the residents of the north back home safely. The war will not end until we realize all its goals, including the return of the residents of the north safely home. And I tell you, it will happen, just like it happened in the south," Netanyahu added.
Netanyahu stated 3 reasons why Israel agreed to the ceasefire.
The primary reason, he said, was that it will help his country focus on the Iranian threat. "I won't expand on that," he said.
The secondary reason is to give Israeli forces a breather after months of fighting and to replenish weapon stocks. "I say it openly, it is no secret that there have been big delays in weapons and munitions deliveries. These delays will be resolved soon. We will receive supplies of advanced weaponry that will keep our soldiers safe and give us more strike force to complete our mission," he said.
The third reason for having a ceasefire, according to Netanyahu, is to separate the fronts and isolate Hamas. "From day two of the war, Hamas was counting on Hezbollah to fight by its side. With Hezbollah out of the picture, Hamas is left on its own. We will increase our pressure on Hamas and that will help us in our sacred mission of releasing our hostages," he said.
Israel's localised conflict with Hamas has evolved into a multi-front war, with Israel now facing challenges across West Asia. The conflict has drawn in key regional players, including Iran, which recently escalated tensions by launching around 180 ballistic missiles on Israeli cities. This has widened the scope of the conflict, with Israel now engaged on seven different fronts.
Israel and Hamas have been at war since October 2023, when the terrorists launched a surprise attack on Israel and took Israeli hostages at a concert. Israel retaliated and destroyed several areas under control of the militant group. The Israel operation has resulted in deaths of tens of thousands of people in the region.