Washington: U.S. President Joe Biden said Tuesday the U.S.-proposed 60-day ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, which is “designed to be” permanent, will take effect at 4:00 a.m. Wednesday local time (2:00 a.m. GMT).
“Under the deal reached today, effective at 4 a.m. tomorrow local time, the fighting across the Lebanese-Israeli border will end,” Biden said in remarks delivered from the White House Rose Garden.
“This is designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities. What is left of Hezbollah and other terrorist organisations will not be allowed,” he added.
“Over the next 60 days, Israel will gradually withdraw its remaining forces, and civilians on both sides will soon be able to safely return to their communities and begin to rebuild their homes,” Biden said.
Israel, the president said, “retains the right to self defense” in the event that “Hezbollah or anyone else” breaks the newly announced deal, which was approved by the Israeli cabinet on the same day.
In a U.S.-France joint statement announcing the ceasefire deal, the two countries said the “announcement will create the conditions to restore lasting calm and allow residents in both countries to return safely to their homes on both sides of the Blue Line.”
The Blue Line is a demarcation line drawn by the United Nations on June 7, 2000 that is intended to separate the Israeli and Lebanese armies.
Biden in his remarks said the deal “supports Lebanon’s sovereignty, and so it heralds a new start for Lebanon.” He said no U.S. troops will be deployed to southern Lebanon.
Toward the end of his speech, Biden also alluded to the situation in Gaza, saying, “Just as the Lebanese people deserve a future of security and prosperity, so do the people of Gaza. They too deserve an end of the fighting and displacement.”
Biden said the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal “brings us closer to realising the affirmative agenda” he has been pursuing for the Middle East region throughout his presidency, one that fulfills the Palestinian people’s legitimate aspirations for establishing a state of their own, shields Israel from terror threats and achieves the full normalisation of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
“I believe this agenda remains possible, and in my remaining time in office, I’ll work tirelessly to advance this vision for an integrated, secure and prosperous region,” Biden said.
The Israeli military drastically stepped up its strikes on Beirut hours before the government in Tel-Aviv approved the ceasefire deal, killing at least 25 people on Tuesday, according to a tally counted by CNN based on health ministry figures.
