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Forums - Politics Discussion - Israel-Hamas war, Gaza genocide

SvennoJ 1 day ago

About 130,000 children under the age of 10 trapped in north Gaza, aid group says

Save the Children noted that the children have been cut off from supplies of food, water and medicine since October 6, when Israeli forces launched a siege on northern Gaza.

“The situation in northern Gaza is not fit for human survival and yet we know there are about 130,000 children under 10 trapped in those conditions, not to mention the thousands of older children and their families,” said Jeremy Stoner, the charity’s regional director.

“Humanitarian aid to Gaza has hit an all-time low with the appalling situation in northern Gaza the tip of a terrible iceberg. Safe humanitarian access must be granted immediately to allow food, water, winter supplies and medical assistance to reach those who are trapped in the death zone in the north,” he said.

Stoner called for global intervention to reach those trapped in the north.

“Without access and a ceasefire, we are condemning children to perish in hell on earth,” he said.


Four Palestinians killed by Israeli attack near Rafah: Report

The Palestinian news agency Wafa, citing medical sources, reports that four people were killed and several injured in an Israeli attack on a house in the Musbah area in the south of the Gaza Strip.


Two people killed in Israeli attack outside northern Gaza hospital

Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic are reporting two Palestinians have been killed and an unspecified number of people injured in an Israeli assault at the front gate of the Indonesian Hospital.


Five Palestinians killed in Israeli attack on Jabalia

Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic are reporting five people have been killed in an Israeli air strike on Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip. The Palestinian news agency Wafa reports that several others have been injured in the strike.


Long queues in northern Gaza for food amid Israeli siege

Footage shared on social media from northern Gaza, and verified by Al Jazeera, shows dozens of residents queueing in long lines for food.

Earlier, we reported Save the Children noting that children have been cut off from supplies of food, water and medicine since October 6, when Israeli forces launched a siege on northern Gaza. It called the situation there “not fit for human survival”.


Palestinians in Gaza face food, water and fuel shortages


A Palestinian man chops wood to be used for cooking or heating in the courtyard of a school housing displaced Palestinians west of Gaza City, on November 25


A Palestinian boy stands next to buckets, arranged and used to reserve a place in line as people wait for water refills


Palestinians queue to receive food rations outside a distribution centre



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SvennoJ 1 day ago

Israeli army says it strikes about 25 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon in one hour

The Israeli military says it has hit about 25 Hezbollah targets across Lebanon over a one-hour period.

“Among the targets struck were the Executive Council’s command centres, and intelligence control and collection centres, where Hezbollah commanders and operatives were located,” the army said in a statement.

The strikes took place in Nabatiyeh, Baalbek, the Bekaa Valley, southern Beirut and the city’s outskirts, it said.

Israeli strike on Lebanon’s Marjayoun district kills one, injures four

Israeli shelling of the town of Qlayaa in the southern Lebanese district of Marjayoun has killed one person and injured four others from the same family, all Syrian nationals, the National News Agency reports.

The agency said that the injured include two children, one of whom sustained severe burns. The two others sustained intermediate to critical wounds, it added.


UNIFIL ‘seriously concerned’ by deadly strikes on Lebanese army

UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon have expressed worry over deadly Israeli strikes on Lebanese soldiers despite the army staying away from fighting between Hezbollah and Israel.

“UNIFIL is seriously concerned by numerous strikes on the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) inside the Lebanese territories,” the peacekeepers said in a statement.

The army has reported 19 soldiers killed while on active duty so far.


UN calls on parties to ‘accept a ceasefire’ in Lebanon

A senior United Nations official has called on all parties involved in the conflict in Lebanon to “accept a ceasefire”.

“The situation remains grave across the region,” senior envoy Muhannad Hadi told the UN Security Council on behalf of UN Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland. “Israeli military operations continued across the Blue Line with Lebanon, as did the firing of rockets by Hezbollah towards Israel, including a barrage this weekend,” he said.

“I welcome the ongoing diplomatic efforts to reach a cessation of hostilities and urge the parties to accept a ceasefire anchored in the full implementation of UNSCR 1701,” Hadi said in the remarks.

UN Security Council Resolution 1701 ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah and stipulates that only UN peacekeeping forces and the Lebanese army can be deployed in southern Lebanon.


Israeli strikes on Beirut and southern Lebanon becoming ‘more powerful, more destructive’

Up until a few hours ago, there were strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, in Tayouneh, in Choueifat, in Mount Lebanon. Targets across the south of country have been hit throughout the course of the day, … something that has become routine.

You can hear sonic booms of Israeli jets in the skies over Beirut. Attacks have been getting more powerful, more destructive, more frequent and happening more often without warning – leaving people no time to get out of the way of Israeli missiles and drones.

There is some hope. … Lebanese people say in past conflicts with Israel, they have seen a sudden uptick of violence on both sides of the border, followed by a cessation of violence. People are clinging to the hope that this is that moment.


Death toll rises in Lebanon despite truce talks

In Beirut, Israeli air strikes levelled more of Beirut’s southern suburbs, sending clouds of debris billowing over the Lebanese capital.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Israeli attacks killed 31 people and wounded 62 across the country on Monday.

Despite diplomatic progress, hostilities have intensified. Over the weekend, Israel carried out powerful air strikes, one of which killed at least 29 people in central Beirut, while Hezbollah unleashed one of its biggest rocket salvos yet on Sunday, firing 250 missiles into Israel.



SvennoJ 1 day ago

Syria says Israeli ‘aggression’ damages bridges in Homs

Syria’s state news agency says Israel struck bridges in the town of Qusayr in the southern region of Syria’s Homs province.

Earlier, SANA news agency said blasts were heard in the town, which is located near Lebanon’s border.

Israel has hit Syria with strikes for years, taking aim at what are believed to be targets linked to Hezbollah. Those attacks have stepped up since the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah intensified in the past few months.


Israel says Syria strikes targeted Hezbollah smuggling routes

Following up on the reports we had earlier of Israeli strikes on bridges in Syria’s al-Qusayr on the Syrian-Lebanese border, the Israeli military says it was targeting routes used by Hezbollah to smuggle Iranian weapons into Lebanon, according to The Times of Israel.

The military said the strikes were part of its efforts to target Hezbollah’s Unit 4400, which it says is responsible for the delivery of weapons from Iran to Lebanon.




UN experts call for injured Al Jazeera cameraman to be evacuated from Gaza

Three UN experts have called for Israel to facilitate the medical evacuation of Al Jazeera’s Fadi al-Wahidi from Gaza.

Al-Wahidi is in a coma after he was shot in the neck by an Israeli sniper in October while he was covering an Israeli ground offensive in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza. He was wearing protective gear that clearly identified him as a member of the news media.

The plea for his evacuation came from three UN special rapporteurs: Irene Khan, Francesca Albanese and Tlaleng Mofokeng.

“Al-Wahidi has the right to receive urgent medical care, and Israel has an obligation under international law to facilitate that right, but despite his life-threatening medical condition, the lack of medical facilities in Gaza, and urgent and repeated appeals from his doctors, his family and various press and journalist organisations, Israeli authorities continue to refuse to allow his evacuation,” the experts said.

“The killing of Palestinian journalists, their persistent arbitrary arrests and detentions, the continued ban on independent media access into Gaza, persistent internet shutdowns, the destruction of media outlets and displacement of the Gaza media community have severely restricted reporting on the war and hampered documentation,” they added.

“The denial of medical evacuation or delays in approving requests seem to be part of the overall pattern of persecution, threats and attacks by Israel on journalists in the occupied Palestinian territory in blatant defiance of its international obligations. We condemn it wholeheartedly. Access to medical care must not become a weapon to intimidate and silence journalists or anyone that sheds light on the situation in Gaza.”



SvennoJ 1 day ago

Biden and Macron set to announce ceasefire deal, Lebanese sources say

US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron are expected to announce a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel within 36 hours under existing plans, four senior Lebanese sources say.

Earlier, the pan-Arab Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported that Biden and Macron would declare a 60-day ceasefire on Tuesday. The White House said earlier that a deal is “close”, without providing more details. French officials said talks were ongoing.


US says ceasefire talks between Israel and Hezbollah are ‘close’ to deal

The discussions the United States government had on the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah were positive and are headed in the right direction towards a deal, the US White House says.

“We’re close,” said White House national security spokesperson John Kirby. “The discussions … were constructive, and we believe that the trajectory of this is going in a very positive direction. But, yeah, nothing is done until everything is done.”

US State Department on Lebanon ceasefire: ‘We are not there yet’

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller has offered little in terms of updates on a ceasefire in Lebanon. “We have made significant progress with getting towards a resolution,” Miller told reporters, “but we are not done yet. Nothing is final until everything is final.”

Miller acknowledged that US officials had expressed optimism about a ceasefire before – and that none had materialised yet.

“We are hopeful we can get an agreement, but we need both parties to get to yes,” he said. “This has been an incredibly frustrating process.” “There have been many times when we thought we were going to be getting to yes in both [Lebanon and Gaza], and for various reasons, the parties didn’t get there.”


Netanyahu meeting his coalition tomorrow to discuss ceasefire proposal

Israel’s Channel 12 is reporting that coalition leaders have been asked to meet with the prime minister on Tuesday regarding the proposal for a ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The newspaper Maariv also confirmed that the political and security cabinet will meet on Tuesday evening to approve the plan that would see residents going back to their homes in the north.



SvennoJ 1 day ago

G7 seeks unity on ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu

The G7 is seeking a common position on Netanyahu’s arrest warrant issued last week by the International Criminal Court, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani says. “We need to be united on this,” Tajani said at the start of a meeting of foreign ministers from the G7 nations.

The United States, part of the G7, has rejected the ICC decision.


US Middle East envoy to head to Saudi Arabia for ceasefire talks

Brett McGurk will be in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to discuss using the potential Lebanon ceasefire deal as a catalyst for ending the conflict in Gaza, the White House has said.

Previous attempts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza have repeatedly failed, with Israel refusing to accept a permanent end to the fighting.


Smotrich calls for Gaza’s population to be cut in half

The far-right Israeli finance minister has made the suggestion during a conference organised by the Yesha Council, an organisation representing illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

“It is possible to create a situation where Gaza’s population in two years will be less than half its current size,” Smotrich said, according to comments translated into English by Haaretz. “Encouraging voluntary emigration is an opportunity that arises with the new [Trump] administration.”

“It is possible and necessary to take civilian responsibility for Gaza. … The [Israeli military] will need to be there to maintain security, prevent Gaza from rearming and becoming a threat to Israeli citizens again, and, in the process, oversee civilian [affairs],” he added.

Why is there no warrant for Smotrich.


Israeli far-right may take advantage of Lebanon deal to continue Gaza war

Yossi Mekelberg, a senior consulting fellow at Chatham House, told Al Jazeera that while the proposed ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon would not deviate much from previous deals, the key would be what happens in the coming weeks and months.

“From Israel’s point of view, the government has been able to eliminate much of the Hezbollah leadership and reduce its capabilities… and an agreement for Hezbollah to withdraw north of the Litani River,” Mekelberg said. “Much of it will depend on domestic affairs within Lebanon: how strong is Hezbollah going to be after the war, can it rearm itself, the relationship with Iran.”

Mekelberg added that there were a lot of unknowns, but that the Israeli goal now was to create a buffer zone patrolled by UN peacekeepers and the Lebanese army and allow for the return of Israeli civilians to the north of Israel.

However, he also pointed out that the far-right might seek to take advantage of any deal, and that there would be a trade-off with some of their goals, such as a “permanent presence in at least some of Gaza”.



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SvennoJ 1 day ago

Main points on November 25th

  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet is set to discuss a proposal to end the fighting with Hezbollah, as officials from the US, Lebanon and Israel expressed optimism over a ceasefire deal “within days”.
  • Israel’s military continued to pound Lebanon, however, killing at least 31 people and wounding 62 in attacks across the country on Monday.
  • In Gaza, winter storms are adding to the misery of Palestinians displaced by Israel’s relentless bombardment, with heavy rains and rising tides flooding and damaging some 10,000 makeshift shelters in the past day.
  • The World Health Organization condemned Israel’s ongoing attacks on the besieged Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, saying the assault has wounded 14 additional people in the past 48 hours, including the facility’s director.
  • Israel’s military also bombed several bridges in the town of Qusayr in Syria, near the border with Lebanon, saying the attack targeted Hezbollah smuggling routes.
  • The White House says the US’s Middle East envoy Brett McGurk will be in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to discuss using the potential Lebanon ceasefire deal as a catalyst for ending the conflict in Gaza.

Reporter’s honest take on US hypocrisy amidst ICC arrest warrant stumps official | Janta Ka Reporter


The questionable stand taken by the US throughout the Gaza conflict and now in the wake of the ICC arrest warrant prompted a young reporter to expose American hypocrisy during the State Department press briefing on Monday. The reporter’s straight-talking left the spokesperson, Matthew Miller, confused as he struggled to explain his administration's dishonesty.

Palestine challenges Israel: Will you accept UN resolutions? | Dawn News English


The UN urges all parties involved in the Lebanon conflict to accept a ceasefire amid escalating tensions. UN officials emphasize the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza and Lebanon, highlighting the need for an unconditional ceasefire, humanitarian aid access, and the continuation of vital UNRWA operations. Multiple countries call for peace. United Nations Security Council is discussing the dire situations in Gaza and Lebanon.



SvennoJ 7 hours ago

Three wounded in Hezbollah rocket attack on Israel’s Nahariya

Israeli police said the three were taken to receive treatment after Hezbollah rockets struck the northern coastal city of Nahariya, causing “damage to buildings and a number of parked cars”. The extent of the injuries has not been announced.

The Times of Israel, citing medics, said at least two people were wounded by shrapnel, including a 70-year-old woman and a man in his 80s.


More than 8,000 homes destroyed in northern Israel: Report

Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth says it will take four months to repair all the damage to Kiryat Shmona, a city in the north that has borne the brunt of Hezbollah’s attacks over the course of its hostilities with Israel.

About 7,000 cars and 300 agricultural sites were damaged, it reported.

In the Gaza Strip, after a year of Israeli assault, the UN estimates that the war has left some 40 million tonnes of debris and rubble in Gaza, enough to fill New York’s Central Park to a depth of 8 metres (about 25 feet). It could take up to 15 years and nearly $650m to clear it all away, it said. The Shell Group says it will take 40 years to repair all of Gaza’s damaged and destroyed homes.

In south Lebanon, dozens of towns were destroyed by the Israeli army, some packed with explosives and detonated.

And we'll all suffer for it with the amount of carbon emissions from all this destruction and rebuilding with tax payer money.

Lebanese wake up to sound of Israeli jets despite ceasefire hopes

Last night, people in Lebanon went to sleep hearing the sound of sonic booms from Israeli jets overhead, hoping it would be the end. But they woke up this morning once again to the sound of sonic booms in the air.

We’ve seen a number of strikes carried out this morning in the south of the country, including Tayr Harfa and Chamaa. The expectation is that this will continue today after a very violent 24 hours yesterday.

Still, the hope remains that all of this escalation will follow the pattern of past conflicts between Israel and forces in Lebanon – an uptick in violence followed by a cessation of violence.

We’re hearing from local sources and diplomats that there are positive signals, that everyone wants this conflict to end.


Aftermath of Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs



SvennoJ 7 hours ago

Israeli military issues forced displacement orders for southern Beirut

Israel’s military has threatened it will soon attack several buildings in southern Beirut, telling nearby residents to flee immediately.

In a pair of posts on X, Israel’s Arabic-language spokesman, Avichay Adraee, posted a map with several buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs of Borj El Brajneh and Tahouitet al-Ghadir that he identified as targets.

“For your safety and the safety of your family members, you must evacuate these buildings and those adjacent to them immediately,” he warned.


Lebanon to file UNSC complaint over Israel’s targeting of army

Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry says via the country’s state-run news service that it instructed its UN mission to file a complaint with the Security Council.

The complaint, according to a media release, calls on UN member states to condemn “repeated” Israeli attacks on the Lebanese army, which is not currently engaged in any hostilities.

The complaint focuses on the period from November 17 to 24, in which Lebanon says 10 army soldiers were killed and 35 were wounded in Israeli attacks “in the village of Mari, Sarafand, the Burj al-Muluk-Qalaa road, and Amiriya in southern Lebanon”.

These actions constitute a “clear message from Israel rejecting any initiatives for a solution, and its insistence on military escalation instead of diplomacy”, the statement said.

More than 40 Lebanese army personnel have been killed since Hezbollah started exchanging fire with the Israeli army on October 8 of last year.


Building hit in Israel’s Kiryat Shmona after sirens go off

A projectile has hit a building in the northern Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona, damaging it, according to fire services. Firefighters responded to the attack, which occurred shortly after rocket sirens went off in the city and surrounding areas.


Air raids in south Beirut

There have been air raids again in south Beirut after the Israeli military threatened residents in the area. Footage showed plumes of smoke rising above Beirut’s southern suburbs.


Israeli forces bomb southern Beirut after evacuation threats

A series of air strikes have slammed into buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs of Borj el-Brajneh and Tahouitet al-Ghadir, shortly after Israel’s military ordered residents to flee.

Footage shared by Lebanese news platforms, verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad fact-checking agency, shows people searching through mounds of rubble, under a cloud of heavy smoke, after devastating strikes in Borj el-Brajneh.


Two Israeli soldiers ‘severely injured’

The first soldier – a reservist with the 8163rd engineering battalion – was wounded while fighting in central Gaza, according to Israel’s military. The second was injured by a drone fired from Lebanon that fell in the Mount Hermon area, the military said.

They have both been evacuated and hospitalised.


Massive strikes hit residential areas in southern Lebanese town of Hosh

There has been what we can describe as a fire belt on the outskirts of the town of Hosh. Huge mushroom clouds were coming out of the town’s outskirts after several Israeli air strikes hit residential areas.

This is part of the relentless campaign that is still going on. We are expecting more.

Yesterday, there were several air strikes inside the city of Tyre. At least two people were killed in a strike overnight on the main road. There were also three drone attacks that killed at least 10 people, including a soldier in the Lebanese army.

The Israeli army had issued a warning for the people of several neighbourhoods in the city to evacuate. But the attack that took place overnight and killed two people was outside the warning area. That’s causing a lot of chaos for the people.



SvennoJ 7 hours ago

Israel strikes building in central Beirut

An explosion rang out in Beirut, with a resident of the central Basta Fawqa neighbourhood telling the Reuters news agency there was a strike near that area. AP news agency also reported that Israel struck a building in central Beirut.


Israeli forces reach Lebanon’s Litani River

In a press release, the Israeli army says a number of its ground units had conducted operations in the “area of the Litani River”.

This river represents the boundary line that UN Resolution 1701 stipulates as the furthest south as Hezbollah is allowed to go in Lebanese territory, saying that the Lebanese Army and UN be the only armed presence near the Israeli border.

It is also the line that Israel is demanding Hezbollah pull back beyond in any ceasefire agreement that could be reached in the coming days.


Israeli forces carry out ‘large scale’ attack on Beirut

At least 10 simultaneous Israeli strikes have pounded Beirut’s southern suburbs as a spokesman for the Israeli military says the air force has been carrying out “a large scale” attack on Hezbollah targets there.

The military “is now attacking terrorist targets of Hezbollah in the Beirut area on a large scale”, the Israeli army said on X.

The strikes were the largest simultaneous attacks across Beirut’s southern suburbs so far, according to the Reuters news agency, and came after the Israeli military issued leave-or-die threats for 20 locations in the area, its largest such warning yet.


Israel warns of more Lebanon attacks

Israel warns that “in the near future” its forces will attack several branches of the al-Qard al-Hassan association.

“These raids will constitute an additional blow to the Iranian funding chain for Hezbollah, which uses this association for its military purposes,” Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on X.

“Residents of Lebanon, in the coming hours, we will inform the residents of buildings used by Hezbollah of the need to evacuate them for your safety according to the maps that will be published.”


Seven people killed in intense Israel strikes on Beirut

Seven people have been killed in Israeli attacks on a Beirut building housing displaced people, the National News Agency reports, citing Lebanon’s Health Ministry.

“The Israeli strike on the Nweiri area in Beirut destroyed a four-storey building housing displaced people,” Lebanon’s official agency said. The Health Ministry said seven people were killed and 37 wounded in the bombing of a densely populated area where people displaced by Israeli bombardments have sought refuge.

Civilians wounded in Israel’s attack on Syria

Syria’s SANA news agency is reporting that Israel’s air attack on the town of Qusayr wounded at least two civilians and caused “material losses”. The agency cited a military source.

Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA), meanwhile, reported that Israeli forces attacked the Al-Jubaniyeh, Al-Daf, Arjoun, and Al-Nizariyeh bridges in Qusayr, in addition to the Al-Hadhur, Mataraba, and Al-Hawsh bridges on the Syrian-Lebanese border.

The Israeli military confirmed the attack earlier, saying it had struck Hezbollah weapons smuggling routes.


Smoke rises as people gather at a damaged site after what Syrian state news agency said was an Israeli strike in the Damascus suburb of Mazzeh, Syria November 14



SvennoJ 7 hours ago

US threats forcing Israel to accept Hezbollah truce: Report

The Times of Israel is reporting that the Israeli cabinet is set to approve a ceasefire with Lebanon’s Hezbollah, partly because it fears that the Biden administration could “punish” the country with a UN Security Council resolution in its final weeks.

The newspaper quoted an unnamed Israeli official. The official also said that Israel needs additional equipment from the US, including 134 D9 bulldozers – a reference to Washington’s decision earlier this month to freeze such shipments to its ally.

Still, the official said Israel was only accepting a cessation of hostilities, not an end to the war on Hezbollah. “We don’t know how long it will last,” the official said. “It could be a month, it could be a year.”


Israel wants a truce deal with Lebanon so it can focus on preparing Gaza for settlements, analyst says

Abed Abou Shhadeh, a political writer based in Jaffa, predicts that the Israeli cabinet will vote for a Lebanon ceasefire today with little opposition so the military can throw all its weight into the war in Gaza.

“There is an interest in pulling back militarily to focus on Gaza,” where the government’s main goal is to establish new “settlements”, he said. “There is no talk of any hostage deal in Gaza … What we are seeing on the ground in Gaza is preparation for settlements,” he added.

Hence the request for US D9 bulldozers...


What we know about the proposed Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal

As we’ve been reporting, the Israeli cabinet is set to meet later today to discuss a US-led proposal for a ceasefire with Hezbollah.

  • Elias Bou Saab, Lebanon’s deputy parliament speaker, told Reuters that the proposal would entail an Israeli military withdrawal from south Lebanon and regular Lebanese army troops deploying in the border region within 60 days.
  • Implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the last major war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006, is included. It requires Hezbollah to pull back about 30 kilometres from the Israeli border, behind the Litani River.
  • The establishment of a five-county committee, including France and chaired by the US, would ensure compliance with the ceasefire.

The text does not include Israel’s demand for the right to attack Lebanon if it believes Hezbollah is violating the deal’s terms, according to Israeli media reports. However, that demand is reportedly being addressed in a separate agreement between Israel and the US.


Israeli envoy says Lebanon ceasefire would ease restrictions on US arms shipments

Michael Herzog, Israel’s ambassador to the US, has addressed a potential Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire, which Israel’s cabinet plans to discuss this afternoon.

In comments carried by Israel’s Reshet Bet media, Herzog said the agreement under consideration – under which Hezbollah would agree to withdraw north of the Litani River – “provides space for easing restrictions on arms shipments from the United States to Israel”.

He stressed that Israel will “not allow Hezbollah to grow stronger on Israel’s border.”

However, Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, expressed opposition to any cessation of hostilities, saying it would give up a “historic opportunity to bring [Hezbollah] to their knees” and that Hezbollah would certainly “return and rearm”.

“A war should end when we defeat the other side,” said Ben-Gvir, also quoted by Reshet Bet.

Under the terms of the ceasefire proposal, Lebanese armed forces would move south of the Litani River to protect the border with Israel. The agreement would also come with a US enforcement mechanism to ensure Hezbollah steers clear of the border, according to Israeli media reports.