JERUSALEM – President Biden's top Middle East advisers are scrambling to mediate a temporary ceasefire deal between Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah terrorist movement that would dislodge the supposedly ineffective U.N. mission.
A US-backed UN Security Council resolution tasked the controversial United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) with assisting the Lebanese army after the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, with the aim of disarming to the Iranian-backed terrorist organization.
On Wednesday, Reuters reported that a person briefed on the talks and a senior diplomat working in Lebanon said the two-month period would be used to finalize the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, adopted in 2006 to keep southern Lebanon free of weapons outside of state management.
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The IDF says its “soldiers continue to conduct limited, localized and targeted raids in southern Lebanon, eliminating Hezbollah terrorists and dismantling terrorist infrastructure and weapons stockpiles both above and below ground.” (IDF Spokesperson Unit)
US presidential advisers Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk are scheduled to arrive in Israel on Thursday in an attempt to seal the temporary ceasefire agreement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a security consultation meeting on Tuesday with key members of his administration on defense matters and discussed elements of a long-term deal to stop Hezbollah, according to Israel's Channel 12.
Amit Segal, chief political analyst at Channel 12, told Fox Information Digital: “The end of the war in Lebanon, with an agreement that allows Israel to respond with fire to any violation, is a clear victory after a year of fighting. and fundamental changes “That is why Hezbollah still hesitates and the growing military pressure tries to convince them.”
Segal said the possible agreement involves Israeli implementation of Resolution 1701 with the Lebanese army instead of the controversial UNIFIL mission.
Members of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol the border area between Lebanon and Israel on October 13, 2023. (Joseph Eid/AFP via Getty Photos)
Israeli media reported that Naim Qassem, Hezbollah's new leader, promised in a public speech on Wednesday that Hassan Nasrallah's “work program” will continue, including his war against the Jewish state. Nasrallah was killed last month in an Israeli attack. Qassem went on to state that Hezbollah faces “an American, European and mundial war to end our resistance.”
He also said Hezbollah was not pushing for a ceasefire. “If the enemy wants to stop, we will accept the terms that are suitable for us. Any solution will be through negotiations,” added the Hezbollah terrorist leader.
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Qassem helped co-found Hezbollah, which launched suicide bombings against US diplomatic and military personnel in 1983. The bombing of the US embassy in Beirut killed 63 people, and Hezbollah also killed 241 people at the US Marine barracks in the Lebanese renta. .
After Hezbollah announced Qassem as its new leader, IDF Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated in X that it would be a “temporary appointment” and “not for long.”
Hezbollah's new leader Naim Qassem pictured during a speech. (Al Manar TV/Reuters)
The Hezbollah movement, backed by the Iranian regime – Lebanon's de facto ruler, according to Middle East expert Walid Phares – has suffered serious operational defeats, including Israel's targeted assassination of its long-term leader, Nasrallah, in Beirut.
The IDF announced on Wednesday that a military strike eliminated Mustafa Ahmad Shahadi, deputy commander of Hezbollah's Radwan Forces in the Nabatieh area. According to the IDF, “Shahadi promoted numerous terrorist attacks against the State of Israel. Their attack is part of the effort to degrade the capabilities of Hezbollah's Radwan Forces to direct and carry out terrorist activities against IDF troops and communities on the northern border, specifically the 'Conquer Galilee' Plan.”
Mourners chant slogans during the funeral procession for Hezbollah fighters who were killed in an Israeli strike, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, on September 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
As Hezbollah continues to launch hundreds of rockets into Israel, Gallant said Tuesday: “I estimate the remaining missile and rocket capacity is on the order of 20%, and it's not organized the way it used to be.” be organized, so that [Hezbollah] could shoot [large] volleys.”
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IDF troops fight Hezbollah terrorists in southern Lebanon. (IDF Spokesperson Unit).
The IDF has urged UNIFIL troops to withdraw from southern Lebanon. However, UNIFIL refused to relocate its personnel outside the war zone.
Hezbollah terrorists endangered UNIFIL personnel on Tuesday, and a UNIFIL spokesperson apparently avoided condemnation of the attack by saying: “A rocket hit UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura, setting a vehicle workshop on fire. “While some peacekeepers suffered minor injuries, fortunately no one was seriously injured.” The rocket was fired from north of UNIFIL headquarters, probably by Hezbollah or an affiliated group. We have opened an investigation into the incident.
Fox Information approached UNIFIL spokesperson Kandice Ardiel about an Israel Hayom media report that Hezbollah bribed UNIFIL personnel to exploit their positions against Israel. Ardiel said: “I would take anonymous stories with a grain of salt. Peacekeeping is a challenging job, particularly in the area in which UNIFIL operates. Peacekeepers are impartial, although that has not stopped both sides from accusing us of supporting or spying for each other, however, we will investigate any accusation based on credible evidence.”
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The IDF said its troops located an underground Hezbollah command center, which included terrorist infrastructure reaching a depth of approximately 8 meters, and that it was destroyed. (IDF Spokesperson Unit)
Lt. Col. (Res.) Sarit Zehavi, president and founder of the Israel-based Alma Research and Education Center, told Fox Information Digital that “UNIFIL actually allowed Hezbollah to build its military infrastructure not only on private territories but also outdoors.” areas between cities and towns.” He said Hezbollah dug tunnels in these areas. Alma tracks Hezbollah activity in southern Lebanon.
The IDF announced Wednesday that it destroyed an “underground Hezbollah command center and a second site containing half a ton of explosives.”
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