Lebanon ceasefire deal allows residents of south Lebanon to return; no buffer zone; US-led oversight – report

Channel 12 sets out what it says are the core elements of the US-brokered Israel-Lebanon deal aimed at halting the war against Hezbollah on the northern front. It says only very minor details of the deal remain to be finalized.

It says the deal provides for:

• • A mutual ceasefire;
  • The IDF can stay in Lebanon for up to 60 days;
  • The IDF to leave as the Lebanese Army deploys;
  • No Israeli-held border buffer zone in southern Lebanon, and residents of south Lebanon can go home;
  • The Lebanese government to oversee all arms purchases and arms production in Lebanon;
  • The US to head the international body overseeing the deal’s implementation; France will also sit on that panel.

The TV report adds that a US side letter will state clearly that Israel has the right to act whenever it sees an immediate threat from Lebanon. The report adds that the US has indicated in recent days that if Israel sees a need to act against threats that can tackled on Syrian territory, rather than on Lebanese territory, that would be preferable.

It also says US envoy Amos Hochstein made clear to Israel that there would be no deal if France were not a member of the international oversight body.

Channel 12 says there was near-unanimous support for the deal from the politicians and defense establishment participants in last night’s PM-led security consultation. It says unspecified strategic implications were highlighted, as were considerations regarding Donald Trump’s imminent return to the US presidency, and considerations relating to arms supplies.

At that meeting, it says, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the deal would leave Hamas isolated and raise the chances of a hostage deal.