Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has given a go-ahead to a 60-day ceasefire plan with Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, reported Times of Israel citing high-level sources. The news outlet even said that Netanyahu will hold a cabinet meeting on Tuesday (November 26) to get its nod on the truce plan. Although Israel was working towards a ceasefire in the short-term, the broader war against Hezbollah will go on, said the news report.
Hezbollah has been trading fire and attacking Israeli troops ever since war between Israel and Hamas broke out last year. Hezbollah has been maintaining that it was attacking Israeli targets to support Hamas.
The hostilities escalated after series of pager blasts that killed 42 people and injured thousands of people in Lebanon. It was alleged that Israeli spy agency Mossad was behind the blasts as it wanted to cripple Hezbollah’s communication capabilities. Israeli soon launched attacks on Lebanese targets including the capital Beirut.
The Israeli cabinet meet to discuss ceasefire is scheduled to take place between 5:30 pm and 9 pm (local time).
CNN has reported that talks over ceasefire are moving in positive direction.
However, media reports have also mentioned opposition to the deal from within Netanyahu’s government.
Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir has said that a ceasefire deal would be a “big mistake” and will amount to “historic missed opportunity to eradicate Hezbollah”.
Benny Gantz, who resigned from Netanyahu’s war cabinet in June has said that the PM should make details of the deal public.
“It is the right of the residents of the north, the fighters and the citizens of Israel to know,” Gantz said as quoted by ..