US, France to announce Israel-Lebanon ceasefire at 10 pm - reports

The US and France are expected to announce a ceasefire deal between Lebanon and Israel at 10 pm, according to Lebanese media on Tuesday.

The agreement will go into effect at 10 am Wednesday, the reports said, and will go on for 60 days. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to be making his case at a meeting of the security cabinet, which needs to vote to approve the agreement. This comes as Israeli politicians have railed against stopping the fighting, with fears that Hezbollah will retake positions south of the Litani River after a ceasefire takes effect.

One of the main points of contention is Israel's insistence of reserving the right to respond to any crossing of the river by the terror group, with the exact details of the agreement yet unknown. A peacekeeping force, likely UNIFIL and the Lebanese army, is expected to enforce the agreement as the IDF withdraws.

An Israeli security official speaking to i24NEWS' Hebrew channel said, "Tere is no end to the war, there is a ceasefire and Israel will test it on the ground." The source also added that from Israel's perspective, the most important thing is the American party's document which includes two substantive things - a commitment to enforce Hezbollah's buildup, and the possibility of an Israeli response if Hezbollah crosses over the Litani.

In response to the question why the arrangement is to be made at the current timing, the source said that the main reason is the relations with the Biden administration, and the fear that the United States will not provide Israel with a security net at the US Security Council. Beyond that, the source said, "As is known, there is a weapons embargo from several directions, and thanks to the arrangement, we can renew necessary supplies."

When the official was asked whether Israel's right to respond will also be preserved under a Trump administration, the official replied that "the Americans signed the document, the Biden administration is also obligated to it, and all the more so the Trump administration".

"Hezbollah today is completely different from that of before October 7," the source said. "The organization's top leadership was eliminated, as well as 70 percent of its rocket capability. We hit Dahieh more than in the [2006] Second Lebanon War, and eliminated some 3,500 terror operatives. The threat of the Radwan force on the border has been removed. Israel pushed Hezbollah north."

Despite the successes, the source said residents of northern Israel will not yet return home.

"There won't be a call tomorrow or in a week for residents to return to their homes, that's not the case. We hope that reality will dictate on the ground, that we will see calm and stability in practice. As in the south, most have returned to their homes, we hope this will be the case in the north too."