Truce Between Israel & Hezbollah Begins
Attacks to the last on both sides, people are returning to their homes, now all eyes are on Gaza
The ceasefire agreement in Lebanon came into effect at 4 a.m. on November 27 (local time). A truce has been reached after two months of war in which the Israeli army (IDF) confronted the Islamic group Hezbollah in Lebanon. On November 26, the truce was announced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who supported the US-driven proposal that called for the withdrawal of the Israeli army from southern Lebanon and, as for Hezbollah, the movement of its militias north of the Litani River.
A buffer zone is to be established in southern Lebanon, where the Lebanese regular army will operate. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is also engaged in tasks to facilitate compliance with the agreements.
The Israeli army conducted raids, and Hezbollah used drones for some attacks shortly before the truce, which analysts call “fragile,” went into effect. Although the Lebanese army urged civilians to be cautious and wait, residents in the south of the country have begun to return to their homes.
The focus now shifts to the Gaza Strip, where a terrible humanitarian crisis persists after more than a year of Israeli attacks. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters the group “appreciates” that an agreement was reached in Lebanon to protect the people and hopes for an agreement that will end the war in Gaza.
Qatar, which for months has been the main mediator in the still inconclusive talks between Israel and Hamas, explained that it would return to work on a truce in the Strip “as soon as we see commitment from both sides, you will see full work from Qatar,” according to the spokesman for Qatari Foreign Minister Majed Al Ansari. “The mediation never stopped, but there was a suspension so as not to give alibis to both sides because there was no desire to actually reach a truce.”
