Lebanon will be in ‘dangerous territory’ if Hezbollah does not stick to ceasefire, minister says
If Hezbollah does not stick to the ceasefire agreement it will take Lebanon to its “very dangerous territory”, the country’s economy minister has told The World with Yalda Hakim.
Amin Salam said the ceasefire had “brought some happiness” to Lebanon, “at least to stop the bleeding”.
“However, we are looking at major losses,” he said.
This included the negative effects on the economy and the costs of rebuilding the damage.
Asked what was at stake if Hezbollah did not stick to the agreement, Mr Salam said the “deal was very clear”.
“If this ceasefire is to fail I think it will take Lebanon to a very dangerous territory of escalation and of bringing back the war and will lead to further devastation,” he said.
“It will be a place very hard for Lebanon to recover from.”
IDF ‘enforcing’ ceasefire in southern Lebanon
A spokesperson for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) says their troops are still positioned in southern Lebanon and will “gradually withdraw in accordance” with the ceasefire agreement.
Daniel Hagari said that Israeli aircraft are also still flying in Lebanese airspace gathering intelligence and “are prepared to act wherever necessary”.
He added that the IDF had “operated to enforce the ceasefire agreement” and “identified suspects approaching restricted areas, detained them, and fired warning shots” (see 16.24 post).
Mr Hagari said that Israel will meet any violation of the ceasefire “with fire” and that the military is making the necessary preparations for the possibility of a return to “intense combat”.
Reflecting on the fighting in Lebanon, he said Israel had conducted aerial strikes on 12,500 Hezbollah targets since the beginning of the war.
Some 180 of these were hit during the night, in the hours before the ceasefire agreement went into effect, he added.
Hezbollah: ‘Fighters remain fully equipped to deal with Israeli enemy’
Hezbollah has vowed to continue its resistance and support Palestinians, a day after a ceasefire deal between the group and Israel was announced.
In the first statement by Hezbollah’s operations centre since the ceasefire was announced, the group made no direct mention of the deal.
“The Islamic resistance’s operations room affirms that its fighters in all military disciplines will remain fully equipped to deal with the aspirations and assaults of the Israeli enemy,” the group said.
It added that its fighters would continue to monitor the withdrawal of Israeli forces beyond the Lebanese borders “with their hands on the trigger”.
IDF says it downed drone smuggling weapons from Egypt
The Israeli military has said it shot down a drone that was carrying weapons and crossed from Egypt to Israel earlier today.
Troops at the scene found four guns, five cartridges and hundreds of bullets on the glider.
The weapons found were handed over to the security forces.
Israeli officials have said during the war in Gaza that Hamas used tunnels running under the border into Egypt’s Sinai region to smuggle arms.
However, Egypt says it destroyed tunnel networks leading to Gaza years ago and created a buffer zone and border fortifications that prevent smuggling.
Ceasefire ‘first ray of hope’, UN chief says
Antonio Guterres has said the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is “the first ray of hope” in the regional conflict.
“It is essential that those who signed the ceasefire commitment respect it in full,” the UN secretary-general said in a short televised statement during a visit to Lisbon.
He also reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
“I received an auspicious sign yesterday, the first ray of hope for peace amid the darkness of the past months,” he said, referring to the agreement.
“It is a moment of great importance, especially for civilians who were paying an enormous price of this spreading conflict.”
Former UK spy chief: Israel has ‘called Iran’s bluff in extraordinary way’
The former head of MI6 has told Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge that the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has left Iran “more exposed” as layers of its anti-Israel proxies have been removed.
Asked how important Iran’s reaction was now a truce deal had been agreed, Sir Richard Dearlove said what was “extraordinary” was how the “Israelis have called Iran’s bluff”.
“This idea of attacking Israel constantly through proxies has really been demolished and Hezbollah rather than Hamas was a strategic asset for the Iranians,” he said.
“They’ve pumped a huge amount of money and training into it and look how it’s been taken apart by the IDF.”
He added that “we’re in a much more direct confrontational situation” and Iran is more “exposed” if it were to launch another attack on Israel.
“I think that if Iran launches another attack on Israel, were they to do so, they’re very exposed,” he said.
“The last IDF raids on Iran I think were devastating in terms of taking out their air defences, taking out some of their missile fuel manufacturing capability.
“I think they’re very exposed indeed.”
Sir Richard also said the current truce deal between Israel and Hezbollah was a “retreaded agreement from 2006” when Hezbollah was meant to be separated from the northern Israeli border.
This was supposed to be moderated by the UN and the Lebanese army, but over time “did absolutely nothing”, he added.
“I think it suits the Israelis at the moment to have a ceasefire, because their objective initially was to make the northern border safe,” he said.
“If you push Hezbollah back beyond the Litani, that largely answers the question in the short to medium term. In the long term, I don’t think it does.”
Ceasefire ‘means to an end and not an end in itself’
The ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah is “meant to be a means to an end and not an end in itself”, a former Pentagon Middle East adviser has said.
Jasmine El-Gamal told Sky News that if the ceasefire was not used by both parties and the outside mediators to get to the core issues of the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel “then this was just a cessation of hostilities until the next bout of fighting occurs”.
Looking at whether it could be a means to an end in Gaza, she said “a lot of people are trying to make that connection” but she would be “cautious” to do the same.
“The context in each country is so different and the goals that Israel had in Gaza and Lebanon are different,” she explained.
“You also have the issue of the hostages in Gaza and you don’t have hostages in Lebanon.
“It’s a more complicated issue.”
Ms El-Gamal added that as long as there was an Israeli occupation of Palestinian land you will find organisations resisting.
“You will also have non-violent resistance and other ways of resistance which are quiet natural for a people under occupation by another,” she added.
“I don’t see the prospects for peace right around he corner – this is a long and arduous road.
“But if Donald Trump does want to leave his mark on the region and does want to initiate the process for a lasting sustainable peace that is good for both Israelis and Palestinians then he would be wise to address those core issues at stake.”
Egyptian delegates ‘to travel to Israel in bid for Gaza ceasefire’
An Egyptian security delegation will travel to Israel tomorrow in an effort to reach a Gaza ceasefire deal, two Egyptian security sources have told Reuters.
Last month Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the Egyptian president, proposed a two-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas with the hope that it would lead to a permanent truce.
It was the first time since the war began that the Egyptian president publicly proposed a ceasefire plan, but Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the idea as “non-existent”.
After Israel and Hezbollah agreed a ceasefire, there are some renewed hopes that a truce could be reached in Gaza.
Analysis: Biden frustrated Trump might be able to secure what’s alluded him
By James Matthews, US correspondent
The Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire lifts Biden’s legacy, but only so far.
It is a significant result, assuming it holds – placing a cap, as it does, on hostilities and on the prospect of conflict escalation.
Biden rightly takes credit because America was the deal-broker at the heart of it.
It is, however, a qualified success.
The bigger story is the ongoing conflict in Gaza in which more than 40,000 people have been killed and where a deal remains elusive.
Against that backdrop, Biden is the US president unable to shape events as he would have wanted, with catastrophic consequences.
America’s global influence has, accordingly, been diminished.
It has been a defining feature of his presidency and it has harmed him. “Weakness on the world stage” was a central strand of the Trump election campaign.
Biden talked up the prospect of a wider peace agreement as he left the White House for a family Thanksgiving celebration in Nantucket.
He will hope that events leave Hamas further isolated and increasingly pressured to seek compromise.
The fact is, however, a wider peace deal seems as elusive as ever.
As much as ambitions burn within Biden for a resolution before he leaves office, he knows there’s every chance it will come under a new president, his old foe.
For him, it will be the biggest burn of all.
Truce deal ‘not a solution to the problem’
The ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah is “not really a solution to the problem”, a former Israeli peace negotiator has told Sky News.
Speaking to Mark Austin, Yossi Beilin said “nobody can be sure” how long the ceasefire deal will last.
The problem, he says, is that Hezbollah is a militia as well as a political party.
“Israel cannot impose something on them,” he said.
“I don’t know if the world is ready to demand it. They are very much linked to Iran and for Iran it is important to have militias – both Hamas and Hezbollah.”
Asked if a deal was possible with Hamas, Mr Beilin said he did not think so.
“Hamas is not ready to recognise our right to exist,” he added.
“You cannot negotiate with somebody who wants nothing from you.”