The 60-day ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect in Lebanon on Wednesday morning at 4am. The Israeli security cabinet approved the ceasefire deal after an hours-long meeting and at the end of an intense day of air strikes on Beirut, southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley. Hezbollah’s “Party of God” militia fired rockets and drones over northern Israel, Haifa, Acre and the Galilee.
The basis of the deal. The agreement, announced by US President Joe Biden, consists of three stages: a ceasefire followed by the withdrawal of Hezbollah forces north of the Litani River; the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon within 60 days; and finally, Israeli-Lebanese negotiations on the demarcation of the border areas established by the UN at the end of the 2006 war. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati called on the international community to “act swiftly” to ensure the immediate implementation of the ceasefire, which came into effect at 10am local time on Wednesday. In an address to the nation in which he confirmed the agreement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned: “If Hezbollah tries to renew terrorist infrastructure near the border, – we will attack. If it fires a rocket, if it digs a tunnel, if it brings in a truck with missiles, we will attack.”
In other words, Israel will retain its “freedom of action” if Hezbollah violates the agreement. Netanyahu went on to explain the reasons for the deal: “There are three reasons for accepting the ceasefire now: to focus on the Iranian threat; to allow the troops to rest and replenish their weapon stocks; to separate the northern and southern fronts and isolate Hamas.” “Since the beginning of the war that broke out after the 7 October attack,” the Israeli Prime Minister added, “Hamas has been counting on Hezbollah to fight by its side. With Hezbollah out of the picture, Hamas is on its own. We will increase the pressure on Hamas and this will help us in our sacred mission to free our hostages.” According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, more than 3,823 people have been killed and more than 15,000 injured in Israeli attacks since October 2023. One million people have been displaced. In a note, UN Secretary-General António Guterres “urges the parties to fully respect and swiftly implement all their commitments under this agreement.”
“A ceasefire is not peace.” “The Middle East is a region beset by divisions of all kinds. We are informed that a ceasefire is in effect in Lebanon, but this does not guarantee peace. Peace is a different matter entirely. The situation in Gaza will surely continue, God knows how”, said the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Card. Pierbattista Pizzaballa. Speaking to journalists following a meeting held in Rome last evening in memory of Blessed James Alberione, the Patriarch pointed out that “peace is achieved through peaceful relations between nations. Although it will not be immediate, it is necessary to prepare for it, to rebuild not only the buildings but also the relationships destroyed by this war” “Let us not deceive ourselves,” he added, “it will not happen overnight. But the people who are fighting today are the same people who will have to live together tomorrow.” The Custos of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Patton, likewise expressed to SIR his satisfaction with the deal: “Let us hope that all the parties involved will respect it so that all the displaced can return to their homes.”
Our hope and prayer is that the truce will extend to Gaza.
and that it will mean that war is coming to an end. Our hope is that this coming Christmas will truly be a time of peace and therefore also a time of celebration for our Christians. And may the pilgrims return soon.” The news from Gaza is that even Hamas is “ready” for a ceasefire. For Hamas, the announcement of the ceasefire in Lebanon is “a victory and a great success for the resistance.” According to a member of Hamas’ political bureau, AFP reports, “Hamas is ready for a ceasefire agreement and a serious prisoner exchange deal.”
From Beirut. Last night, Beirut did not sleep. Shelling could be heard until 4 a.m. this morning, but soon after the ceasefire came into effect, people were celebrating, even lighting fireworks,” Fr. Toufic Bou Mehri of the Custody of the Holy Land, superior of the Franciscan convent in Tyre, now in the Lebanese capital, told SIR a few minutes after the ceasefire came into effect. “The road to the south,” he said, “is now full of people returning to their homes. Everyone here hopes that the ceasefire will be followed by peace. We are tired of war, hatred, destruction and massacres. We hope and pray for peace.”
