Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the security cabinet meeting that the ceasefire with Lebanon has not yet been finalized. Netanyahu claimed that there is currently no active ceasefire with Lebanon from Israel's perspective.
Netanyahu alleged that Hezbollah objected to proposals related to the ceasefire, and that the agreement between Israel and Lebanon has not yet been fully drafted or completed.
Speaking at the same meeting, Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said the next steps need to be determined at the political level. Zamir expressed that the army is ready to expand the scope of attacks if a decision is made.
Zamir also stated that from Israel's standpoint, it would be better for a ceasefire under acceptable conditions to occur today rather than several months later.
Israel's Attacks on Lebanon Continue
The Israeli army launched intense airstrikes on Lebanon on March 2 and occupied numerous towns in the south of the country. During this period, the Lebanese government announced that the number of displaced people has exceeded one million.
According to the latest statement from the Lebanese Ministry of Health, 3,558 people have lost their lives in Israeli attacks since March 2.
The statements also included various extensions and negotiation steps regarding the ceasefire process. On April 24, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a three-week extension of the 10-day temporary ceasefire that came into effect on April 17 between Lebanon and Israel.
Following the third round of talks between Lebanon and Israel mediated by the U.S. on May 14-15, it was decided to extend the ceasefire by 45 days starting May 17.
The U.S. State Department announced after the fourth round of talks in Washington that Israel and Lebanon had agreed on a comprehensive ceasefire, provided Hezbollah completely stops its attacks and withdraws all its forces south of the Litani River. Hezbollah, however, rejected this conditional ceasefire.
Despite these announced ceasefire efforts, it has been reported that the Israeli army continues its attacks.
