Trending
Israel expected to approve ceasefire with Hezbollah, Israeli official says
By Maayan Lubell, Maya Gebeily and Laila Bassam
JERUSALEM/BEIRUT (Reuters) – Israel looks set to approve a U.S. plan for a ceasefire with Lebanon’s Hezbollah on Tuesday, a senior Israeli official said, clearing the way for an end to the conflict that has killed thousands of people since it was ignited by the Gaza war 14 months ago.
A dead bird lies at a damaged site, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in Lebanon November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Mohammed Yassin
© Thomson Reuters
That optimism was shared by Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib who expressed hope at a foreign policy conference in Italy that a ceasefire would be reached by Tuesday night.
Israel’s security cabinet is expected to convene later on Tuesday to discuss and likely approve the text at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the official said.
This would pave the way for a ceasefire declaration by U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron, four senior Lebanese sources told Reuters on Monday.
A woman walks past damaged buildings, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in Lebanon November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Mohammed Yassin
© Thomson Reuters
In Washington, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Monday, “We’re close” but “nothing is done until everything is done”. The French presidency said discussions on a ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah had made significant progress.
Civil defence members clear a road at a damaged site, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in Lebanon November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Mohammed Yassin
© Thomson Reuters
The agreement requires Israeli troops to withdraw from south Lebanon and Lebanon’s army to deploy in the region – a Hezbollah stronghold – within 60 days, officials say. Hezbollah would end its armed presence along the border south of the Litani River.
Israel demands effective U.N. enforcement of an eventual ceasefire with Lebanon and will show “zero tolerance” toward any infraction, Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday.
The agreement with Lebanon will maintain Israel’s freedom of operation there to act in defence to remove threats posed by Hezbollah and enable displaced residents to return safely to their homes in northern Israel, Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer told Reuters.
The proposal has already won approval in Beirut, where Lebanon’s deputy parliament speaker Elias Bou Saab told Reuters on Monday there were no serious obstacles left to start implementing it – unless Netanyahu changed his mind.
Signs of a diplomatic breakthrough have been accompanied by a military escalation. Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday demolished more of Beirut’s Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs, while the armed group has kept up rocket fire into Israel.
The widespread destruction left by Israeli airstrikes has brought into focus a huge reconstruction bill awaiting cash-strapped Lebanon, with more than 1 million people displaced and many left homeless heading into winter.
Men stand at a damaged site, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in Lebanon November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Mohammed Yassin
© Thomson Reuters
In Israel, a ceasefire will pave the way for 60,000 people to return to homes in the north, which they evacuated as Hezbollah began firing rockets in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas a day after that group’s Oct. 7, 2023 assault.
‘THE MISSILES ARE CHASING US’
Israel has dealt Hezbollah massive blows since going on the offensive against the group in September, killing its leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and other top commanders, and pounding areas of Lebanon where the group holds sway.
“Regarding the ceasefire, I think it will be implemented. Both sides are tired – both sides are tired,” said Selim Ayoub, a 37-year-old mechanic from Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Hezbollah launched some 250 rockets on Sunday in one of its heaviest barrages yet. The northern Israeli city of Nahariya came under more rocket fire overnight.
“As we were about to sleep, we suddenly heard a huge explosion, the window in our fortified room was shaking,” said Ofir Ben David, who was evacuated earlier in the conflict from the Israeli community of Shomera on the Lebanese border.
“The missiles are chasing us all the time.”
Diplomacy to end the fighting has focused on restoring a ceasefire based on U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the last major war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said on Monday that Israel would maintain an ability to strike southern Lebanon under any agreement.
Lebanon has previously objected to Israel being granted such a right, and Lebanese officials have said such language is not included in the draft proposal.
Two Israeli officials told Reuters that Israel has a side agreement with the U.S. allowing it to take action in Lebanon against “imminent threats.”
Senior Hezbollah official Mohammad Raad, writing in a Lebanese newspaper on Tuesday, said it was unlikely Israel would “accept any talk about halting its aggression against Lebanon without pressure or without exhausting the option of using force on the ground”.
“However, we will wait and see the results of the indirect negotiations,” he wrote.
Hezbollah, seen as a terrorist group by Washington, has endorsed its ally Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to negotiate.
DEATH TOLL
Over the past year, more than 3,750 people have been killed in Lebanon and over one million have been forced from their homes, according to Lebanon’s health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its figures.
Hezbollah strikes have killed 45 civilians in northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. At least 73 Israeli soldiers have been killed in northern Israel, the Golan Heights and in combat in southern Lebanon, according to Israeli authorities.
Biden’s administration, which leaves office in January, has emphasised diplomacy to end the Lebanon conflict, even as all negotiations to halt the parallel war in Gaza are frozen.
U.S. Middle East envoy Brett McGurk will be in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to discuss using a potential Lebanon ceasefire as a catalyst for a deal to end hostilities in Gaza, the White House said.
(This story has been corrected to fix the event at which the Lebanese foreign minister was speaking, in paragraph 2)
Trending
“Fortunate to watch three musketeers of Tennis”: Vijay Amritraj on seeing Federer, Nadal, Djokovic play
The Lagos Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Friday, January 31, 2025, arraigned 11 Chinese, one Filipino and a company, Genting International Co. Ltd, before Justice D.I. Dipeolu of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos.
The defendants are: Wang Zheng Ming, Li Yin Hui, Xian Hong Will, Zhang Xiao Lei, Long Zhao Ming, Guo Xiao Fei, Yang Sheng, Wang Zheng Feng, Chen Wenyuan, Liu San Hua, Luo Jia You and Rheign Dela Vega.
They are members of the syndicate of 792 alleged cryptocurrency investment and romance fraud suspects arrested on December 19, 2024 in Lagos during a surprise operation tagged “Eagle Flush Operation” by operatives of the EFCC.
The suspects were arraigned on separate charges bordering on alleged cybercrimes, cyber-terrorism, possession of documents containing false pretence and identity theft, among others.
One of the counts reads: “That you, LI YIN HUI and GENTING INTERNATIONAL CO. LIMITED, on or about the 18th of December 2024 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, willfully caused to be accessed computer systems organised to seriously destabilise the constitutional structure of Nigeria (which prohibits and prevents cyber and related crimes) when you procured/employed Nigerian youths for identity theft and to hold themselves out as persons of foreign nationality, with the intent to gain financial advantage for yourselves and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 18 and 27 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015 (As Amended,
2024).”
Another count reads: “That you, LUO JIA YOU (AKA A. YOU) sometime in December 2024 at Lagos, Nigeria, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, willfully gave false information to officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in the course of investigation when you were being questioned for being part of a criminal syndicate group, specialized in Romance scam, crypto currency fraud, cyber terrorism amongst others; and in order to mislead them, you falsely represented your name as A. YOU and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 39(2) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004 and punishable under Section 39(2) (b) of the same Act.”
Another charge reads: “That you, LONG SHAO MING A.K.A LING YANG, sometime in December 2024 in Lagos , within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, with intent to defraud, had in your possession documents containing false pretence, wherein you held yourself out as ‘Linda Maureen’, a citizen of the United States of America, which document you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 6 and punishable under 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other fraud related Offences Act, 2006. “
They each pleaded “not guilty” to the offences when they were read to them.
In view of their pleas, prosecution counsel, L.P. Aso, M. K.Bashir, T. J .Banjo, N. K . Ukoha and B. Buhari-Bala, prayed the court for trial dates and for the defendants to be remanded in the appropriate Correctional facilities.
Justice Dipeolu adjourned the matter till 7, 14 and 21 February, 2025 for trial and remanded the defendants at the Ikoyi and Kirikiri Correctional Centres.
Visit www.efcc.gov.ng for more stories
‘I have been arrested 19 times’ – Speed Darlingto
Nigerians Lament Corruption But Defend Corrupt Leaders – EFCC Chair
Bandit leader Kachallah Bugaje repents, releases over 50 hostages
- Politics12 months ago
Nigerian Senate passes Bill seeking the establishment of the South East Development Commission.
Business12 months agoInflation hits record high of 29.90% on naira weakness
Politics8 months agoBREAKING: Federal Gov’t Offers To Pay Above N60,000, Reaches Agreement With Labour
Trending3 months agoNYA demands release of ‘abducted’ Imo chairman, preaches good governance
- Business3 months ago
US court acquits Air Peace boss, slams Mayfield $4000 fine
SportsNews11 months agoOlympic Qualifiers 2024: CAF Confirms Dates For Super Falcons Vs Banyana Banyana
Politics3 months agoMexico’s new president causes concern just weeks before the US elections
- Entertainment3 months ago
Bobrisky transferred from Immigration to FCID, spends night behind bars