Smoke rises above Lebanon, following an Israeli strike, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Israel's border with Lebanon in northern Israel, May 5, 2024.Ambassador to the United Nations , Danny Danon, has confirmed media reports that efforts towards a ceasefire agreement between his country and Lebanon are moving forward.
The US-brokered ceasefire deal could see Israeli troops withdraw from southern Lebanon, with Hezbollah ending its presence south of the Litani River. He says, “I think for us, it’s important. What will happen after that? They will not be allowed to come back to the fence, and we will do whatever is necessary to guarantee it. We learned the lessons from 2006. We learned the lessons from 1701, and we will make sure that we will have the ability to neutralize any threat that will not be dealt in southern Lebanon. I hope that this Lebanese army will take care of that in the future.
Hadi says, “We must preserve the PA and its institutions; we must create the space for a political solution, not a violent one. If the forces seeking to undermine the two-State solution are successful, the collapse of the relevant principles and institutional structures will have a ripple effect that could spread far beyond the Middle East.