President Hails Breakthrough on Israel, Hezbollah Ceasefire Deal

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that Israel and Lebanon’s Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah have agreed to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire that will end fighting along the Israel-Lebanese border as of 4 a.m. local time.

Speaking to reporters gathered in the White House Rose Garden, Biden said the end of fighting will begin a detailed process intended to lead to “a permanent cessation of hostilities.”

He went on to say that the United States and France, its partner in the peace process, “will make sure this deal is implemented fully.”

“Let me be clear, if Hezbollah or anyone else breaks the deal, and poses a direct threat to Israel, then Israel retains the right to self defense consistent with international law,” the president said.

The announcement came moments after Biden had spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who thanked the president for the United State’s involvement in achieving the ceasefire deal and for “understanding that Israel will preserve its freedom of action in enforcing it.”

The call followed a 10-1 vote by the Israeli Cabinet to accept the deal.

That vote came 415 days after the start of the latest round of hostilities between the parties, hostilities that began after Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in support of the Hamas-led sneak attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

The conflict had dramatically escalated the risk of a wider regional war, and left over 3,000 Lebanese citizens dead, as well as nearly 100 Israelis. 

During his brief remarks from the White House, Biden stressed that the people of Lebanon were the innocent victims of the conflict and that the deal supports the continued sovereignty of the country.

Lebanon’s government was set to meet on Wednesday morning to discuss the ceasefire agreement.

He added that their plight is no different from that of the people of the Gaza Strip, who, he said, also deserve an end to the violence. 

Though he now has just 55 days left in office, Biden vowed to begin a new effort with Egypt, Qatar and others to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

“The people of Gaza have been through hell. Their world has been absolutely shattered. Far too many civilians in Gaza have suffered far too much,” Biden said.

He also reaffirmed his belief that the only way that Israel’s conflict with Hamas can come to an end is with the release of hostages it continues to hold.

Hezbollah did not immediately comment on the announcement, but momentum for Israel’s acceptance of the deal developed quickly on Tuesday.

Netanyahu reportedly convened his security Cabinet Tuesday evening local time to discuss the deal, and went on television a short time later to announce the Cabinet’s acceptance of it.

During that speech, Netanyahu said the ceasefire would enable Israel to better focus on threats posed by Iran and would further isolate Hamas.

Officially, the ceasefire is an agreement between Israel, Lebanon and the mediating countries, the leaders of which are the United States and then France.

Though Lebanon has no formal control over Hezbollah, Nabih Berri, the speaker of the nation’s Parliament, has been acting as the go-between with the organization.

It’s not clear whether Hezbollah will officially sign on to the deal, given that it has promised to continue to keep up the fight until Israel ends its war with Hamas in Gaza.

That said, Hezbollah has suffered heavy losses as a result of the current conflict and is said to be more than willing to find a way to end the war. Given this context, the expectation is that the group’s “unofficial approval” of the deal will come quickly.

Israel and Hezbollah last fought a major war in 2006, a 34-day battle that killed more than 1,000 Lebanese and 150 Israelis before ending in an uneasy truce that never completely held.

Since Hezbollah launched its rockets last October, Israel has repeatedly bombarded Lebanon and evacuated thousands of Israeli civilians from communities along the border.

“What is left of Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations will not be allowed — I emphasize, will not be allowed — to threaten the security of Israel again,” Biden said.

Speaking with reporters shortly after the president’s Rose Garden appearance, a senior administration official said once the 60-day truce goes into effect “all firing will stop from all parties.”

Israeli troops that are currently occupying territory in Lebanon will initially hold their positions, but the 60-day truce will allow the Lebanese military and security forces to begin a deployment toward the south.

“This is a process that cannot happen overnight or in several days, and what we’re trying to prevent is for any vacuums to be formed,” the official said. “As the Lebanese military deploys and reaches the south, then the Israeli military will withdraw.

“So what you’ll see is a phased withdrawal of Israeli troops over time, some sooner than others, but we want to reach the end of the process somewhere between 50 to 60 days from now,” he continued.

In essence, the plan outlined in the deal would have Lebanese troops filling in a territory extending south from the Litani River, which is roughly 18 miles from Lebanon’s border with Israel.

While Israeli troops would be moving south, back over the border, Hezbollah fighters and all of their heavy weaponry would be moving north, to the other side of the river.

In order to monitor and swiftly respond to any violations of the ceasefire, the United States, France and other allies are reviving the “tripartite mechanism” that was supposed to do the same thing after the 2006 war.

“The mechanism has been reformulated and enhanced … and what this means is that the United States, through diplomats and military personnel, will receive any complaints by either side of potential violations and see that they are addressed,” the official said.

“If these violations are verified, we’ll then work with the Lebanese army to make sure that it is capacity building, that its members have the necessary training and so forth, so that we can respond in real time and make sure any potential violations are deterred,” he said.

Both the senior administration official and Biden stated emphatically that no U.S. combat troops will be engaged. 

This has been assured by the revival of an entity called the Military Technical Committee, a body composed of several U.S. allies, “who will be providing additional support equipment, training and financial resources to the Lebanese army and security forces,” the official said.

“The idea here is that unlike in 2006, where the international community reached the agreement and then abandoned the scene, we have committed to remain on the ground, day to day, and watch what’s happening,” the administration official said.

“And we’ll let everybody know, whether it’s Hezbollah or other terrorist organizations, that the world is watching what happens next,” he said.

The official went on to say that with the deal in place, “the international community is going to be working, as quickly as possible, to raise the resources needed to support both the Lebanese army and a reconstruction and economic build-out of Lebanon.

“In essence, we’ve learned from the mistakes of the past, where Hezbollah was the only organization that did any reconstruction work in South Lebanon, as little as it was,” he said.

“It is in our interest, collectively as the international community, to support economic growth and to bring Lebanon back to health,” the official continued. “Hezbollah is extremely weak at this moment, both militarily and politically, and this is the opportunity for Lebanon to reestablish its sovereignty over territories and to attract investment in a return to economic normalcy and independence.” 

In addition to continuing to seek a ceasefire in Gaza, Biden said he will also be working to normalize the currently strained relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

“It reminds us that peace is possible,” he said of the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire.

“I say that again: Peace is possible. As long as that is the case, I’ll not for a single moment stop working to achieve it,” Biden said.

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue