Politics

What to Know About the Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire Agreement

On November 27, 2024, Israel and Lebanon entered into a ceasefire agreement—brokered by the United States, France, and the United Nations—that ended nearly 14 months of constant warfare between the two adversaries. Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group backed by Iran, began firing rockets into Israel on Oct. 8, 2023—just one day after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. The deal requires Hezbollah to surrender their arms in southern Lebanon and retreat 25 miles from the Israel-Lebanon border, while simultaneously providing Israel with 60 days to withdraw their forces from the region and hand over control to the Lebanese Army and U.N. Peacekeepers. 

Since the fighting began, Israel has killed over 4,000 people in Lebanon, including hundreds of civilians. At the peak of the fighting, over 1,000,000 Lebanese citizens were displaced from their homes. As of now, that number has fallen to 160,000. On the other side, Hezbollah rockets have displaced around 60,000 Israelis in the northern region of the country, killing 76 Israelis, including 31 soldiers. An additional 50 Israeli soldiers have been killed during military operations within Lebanon. 

The agreement prohibits future Israeli and Lebanese offensive operations, while still allowing for the countries to act in “self-defense,” though it is unclear exactly what that term means. The Lebanese Army has been tasked with ensuring that no militant group launches attacks on Israel, as well as dismantling Hezbollah facilities and weapons in southern Lebanon. It is the responsibility of the United States, France, Israel, Lebanon, and U.N. Peacekeepers to oversee this agreement and ensure that all terms are followed. 

Since the ceasefire agreement was signed, concerns have risen regarding whether or not both sides would remain loyal to the agreed terms. Lebanon has already accused Israel of violating the agreement, submitting a complaint to the U.N. Security Council claiming Israel launched around 816 “ground and air attacks” between the start of the ceasefire and Dec. 22, 2024. This complaint comes as a result of continued Israeli strikes on bases they claim belong to Hezbollah. Lebanon says these attacks have made it difficult to uphold their end of the deal in southern Lebanon. Shortly after, Israel responded with violation claims of their own, submitting a complaint to the Security Council alleging Hezbollah has continued to move ammunition, attack Israeli soldiers, and launch rockets towards northern Israel. Despite hundreds of these claims from both sides, diplomats and international-relations experts still expect the deal to hold. 

As the 60 day deadline is quickly approaching, Israel has only managed to withdraw troops from three Lebanese cities—Khiam, Shamaa, and Naqoura—but still remains in some 60 others. Israel is blaming the slow withdrawal on the lack of Lebanese troops ready to take over. However, Lebanon refutes this, claiming they are waiting for Israeli troops to leave in order to enter. 

The slower-than-anticipated pullout of Israeli troops is testing Hezbollah’s patience, with their leader Naim Qassem threatening to resume fighting if Israel fails to meet the deadline during a speech on Jan. 4. Only one day later, Israel warned that the ceasefire agreement could collapse if Hezbollah did not withdraw beyond the Litani River in southern Lebanon.

Nevertheless, Qassem asserted, “When we decide to do something, you will see it directly.”