Israel considers ending the conflict in the south ahead of US pressure and a possible UN decision
Israel’s Channel 12 television reported that Israel was considering a ceasefire on the northern Lebanon front in order to forestall a possible decision by the United Nations Security Council. According to the report, the administration of US President Joe Biden is applying intense pressure on Israel to end the fighting in the south.
“The conflict in Lebanon, coupled with intensified strikes in Syria and the raging violence in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, points to a region dangerously teetering on the brink of an all-out war,” Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, warned the 15-nation organ, observing that the situation in the country had become even more alarming since the Secretary-General’s last address before the Council eight days ago.
Since the launch of the Israel Defense Forces’ Operation Northern Arrows on 23 September, UNIFIL has, as of 8 October, detected 5,451 trajectories from south to north of the Blue Line and 610 air attacks by the Forces, he went on. Today, two peacekeepers were wounded when a UN observation post in UNIFIL’s Naqoura headquarters was hit by tank fire, and Force soldiers fired on a UN position (UNP 1-31) nearby. “The actions outlined above show little regard for the protections afforded to UN premises and personnel under international law,” he said, according to UN Press.
Israel assassinated Hizbullah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah to sabotage any chance of a ceasefire, he said, adding that the “heinous act” proved that Israel’s “real objective is only to provoke a full-scale war across the region”. Therefore, he called for an immediate ceasefire, for humanitarian aid to flow into Lebanon, and for the Council to hold Israel accountable for its atrocities against the people of Lebanon and Palestine.
The Israel Today newspaper, citing an Israeli, reported that significant progress had been made in the talks on the northern front. The official said the agreement would best serve Israel’s interests. The Israel Broadcasting Corporation also reported that significant progress had been made in the talks on the northern front.
Israeli Channel 13 also reported that the Israeli forces are nearing the end of its more than month-long ground operation in southern Lebanon. The channel estimates that more than 90% of the ground operations in Lebanon have been completed, but declaring the end of the operation is contingent on reaching a political agreement.
According to information based on sources close to the Israeli forces, Hezbollah infrastructure was discovered during the ground operation in Lebanon, weapons depots were destroyed and some Hezbollah members were taken captive. The forces claimed that it benefited from the intelligence information provided by these people. Israel is preparing for a new military structure on the Lebanese border by simultaneously temporarily demobilizing thousands of regular and reserve soldiers.
Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi has said that an end to the war on the Lebanon front is possible, with Hezbollah’s senior leadership largely neutralized. Israel says the main goal of the military operations is to ensure the return to northern Israel of tens of thousands of people who fled the region due to ongoing clashes with Hezbollah forces on the border.
These developments emerged as part of the conflicts following Israel’s mass attacks on Gaza on October 7, 2023. While more than 145,000 Palestinians lost their lives in Gaza, Israel launched airstrikes on Lebanon starting on September 23 and then launched a ground operation in southern Lebanon.
Israel’s attacks in Lebanon have killed 3,136 people and injured more than 13,000. Many of those killed include women and children, while approximately 1.4 million people have been forced to flee their homes.
