US President Donald Trump has extended the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon by three weeks. The first time the US announced an Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, Israel was apparently not in the loop. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had to go along with it.
According to Netanyahu, the conflict between Israel and Lebanon is a different issue that should be handled as such. It should not be linked with any ceasefire between the US-Israel duo and Iran.
This means Israel hoped to continue launching missile attacks against Lebanon, probably until it had secured the southern part of the country.
It remains to be seen if the declared ceasefire will hold, considering that Israel launched missiles into southern Lebanon a day after the ceasefire declaration.
In its defense, Israel alleged that it targeted different Hezbollah sites in retaliation for a strike the Iran-backed militant group had made around that time.
How was the ceasefire extension arrived at?
The extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon was arrived at in a meeting held at the White House. The parties present included the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the US, Yechiel Leiter and Nada Hamadeh Moawad, respectively. The Hezbollah group was not represented in that ceasefire discussion held in the Oval Office on Thursday, April 23.
Lebanon’s military is not directly involved in the fight. However, the Lebanese are adversely affected whenever there is a war between Israel and Hezbollah.
The group occupies southern Lebanon and generally operates with autonomy. This includes executing their daily chores and providing social amenities such as education and health services.
It is yet to be seen if this anti-Israel group will honor the ceasefire, now that it was not included in the peace talks.