Israel has agreed to a cease-fire with Lebanon on Tuesday, Nov. 26. This deal puts a temporary end to a fight against Hezbollah that has killed thousands of people since the conflict was sparked by the war in Gaza in 2023.
President Joe Biden announced the cease-fire at the White House Rose Garden in response to the deal.
“I directed my team to work with the governments of Israel and Lebanon to forge a cease-fire to bring a conflict between Israel and Hezbollah to a close,” Biden said.
The president added the development is “good news” and is hopeful the deal will lead to a permanent end to the conflict.
The 60-day truce is slated to take effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27. It follows a meeting of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet, which met Tuesday, Nov. 26 to discuss the cease-fire deal.
The agreement requires Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon and Lebanon’s army to deploy to the region. Hezbollah would have to end its military presence from north of the Litani River.
Lebanon said it’s ready to have at least 5,000 troops deployed to the southern part of the country. Lebanese officials added the United States could help rebuild infrastructure destroyed by Israeli airstrikes.
Netanyahu demanded proper United Nations enforcement and oversight of the cease-fire and warns that it will show “zero tolerance” toward any violation of the cease-fire by Hezbollah.
Just hours before the announcement, Israel bombarded Beirut’s southern suburbs with strikes against 20 targets Israeli Defense Forces said were Hezbollah strongholds.
The military operations reportedly killed at least seven people and injured 37 other individuals. The strikes come as Hezbollah continued rocket fire into Israel.