Sitting US President Joe Biden disclosed that he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati who both said they as well as Hezbollah have accepted the agreement. It will take effect at 4 am Wednesday morning.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had announced on Tuesday that he will be recommending to his security cabinet that the Jewish state agree to a ceasefire deal with Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah. The deal was brokered by Washington DC and proposed last week, when Hezbollah and Lebanon both agreed to it.
Netanyahu then reportedly met with security officials on Sunday night to discuss the ceasefire, per ABC News, after tensions between Tel Aviv and Beirut increased while leaders worked to negotiate a final deal.
Israeli officials said that the Israeli prime minister held a security cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning to discuss the deal and hold a cabinet vote. In his announcement, he said the 3 reasons he recommends to accept the ceasefire deal are to focus on the Iranian threat, to isolate Hamas, and to re-arm Israeli soldiers.
"I have said many times that a good agreement is an agreement that can be enforced, and we will enforce it," Netanyahu said in his televised address.
The ceasefire proposal comes less than a month after GOP President-elect Donald Trump was victorious in the 2024 US election, noting one of his main goals during his presidency is to bring a conclusion to all foreign wars.
U.S. Defense Department spokesperson Patrick Ryder said Tuesday that "we are certainly very supportive of the ceasefire."
Trump's pick for national security advisor Mike Walz state in a post to X: "
“Everyone is coming to the table because of President Trump. His resounding victory sent a clear message to the rest of the world that chaos won’t be tolerated. I’m glad to see concrete steps towards deescalation in the Middle East.”
“But let’s be clear: The Iran Regime is the root cause of the chaos & terror that has been unleashed across the region. We will not tolerate the status quo of their support for terrorism," he added.
Once official, a full and permanent ceasefire would be immediately implemented, CBS News reports. Israel would then have 60 days to fully withdraw its forces from Lebanon. Hezbollah will also be required to pull its forces and weaponry 20 miles back from the Israeli border.This is a breaking story. Refresh for updates.
