Israeli official: PM backed Hezbollah truce amid fear Biden might otherwise punish Israel at UN
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted a final version of a ceasefire with Lebanon’s Hezbollah, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.
Israel’s freedom to act in Lebanon is guaranteed by a letter with the US, says the official. The IDF will be able to operate not only against those trying to attack Israel, but also against Hezbollah’s attempts to build up its military power.
“It’s a Mabam [war between the wars] in Lebanon,” claims the official, referencing the decade-long Israeli effort to keep Iranian weapons from reaching proxies by airstrikes and intelligence operations, primarily in Syria.
“We will act,” the official promises, noting that Israel is accepting a ceasefire, not an end to the war.
“We don’t know how long [the ceasefire] will last,” the official says. “It could be a month, it could be a year.”
Netanyahu decided Israel had no choice but to accept a ceasefire out of a fear that the Biden administration could punish Israel with a United Nations Security Council resolution in its final weeks, asserts the official, though the US has not given any indication that it would do so.
Israel is also missing capabilities it needs from the US, including 130 D9 bulldozers, says the official.
The agreement stipulates that the Lebanese Army will enter southern Lebanon over a 60-day period, while the IDF withdraws.
Coordination with the Lebanese side will take place through the office of US Central Command head General Michael E. Kurilla, who met with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi earlier this week.
The coordinating body will include France, says the official, explaining that both the US and Lebanon demanded that the French be involved. Once France indicated it was not committing to the arrest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in the wake of the ICC arrest warrants issued against him, Israel was willing to accept French involvement.
The ceasefire will ultimately be approved, says the official: “There are ministers who speak to their base, and we take it into consideration. But [National Security Minister Itamar] Ben Gvir understands the importance. It’s in Israel’s interest.”
The official argues that it will help reach a successful end to the war in Gaza. “What Hamas wanted was support from Hezbollah and others. Once you cut the connection, you have the ability to reach a deal.”
“It’s a strategic achievement,” says the official. “Hamas is alone.”
Israel will also be able to send more troops to Gaza if the ceasefire holds, the official notes.