Above photo: Israeli Defense Ministry.
Vows continued occupation during ‘temporary freeze’.
Donald Trump said on Truth Social that Israel is ‘prohibited’ from bombing Lebanon, and that Beirut and Washington will ‘deal with Hezbollah’ separately.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened on 17 April that the Lebanon ceasefire is “temporary,” while vowing that occupation forces will not withdraw from the country’s south.
The war chief said the Israeli army “holds and will continue to hold all the areas it has cleared and captured.”
“The ground maneuver into Lebanon and the strikes against Hezbollah throughout Lebanon have achieved many accomplishments, but they have not yet been completed,” he added.
“We are inside Lebanon in the midst of a war against Hezbollah, with a temporary freeze and a 10-day ceasefire. The goal we defined – dismantling Hezbollah’s weapons through military or diplomatic means – was and remains the objective of the campaign to which we are committed. At present, a significant diplomatic lever has also been created through the direct involvement of the US president and a commitment to this goal, while applying pressure on the Lebanese government,” he went on to say.
Katz also vowed that the army will continue blowing up civilian homes while deployed in south Lebanon during the ceasefire. “If hostilities resume, any residents who return to the security zone will have to evacuate in order to allow the mission to be completed.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also made a statement boasting of “great achievements.”
“We created for the first time a long security zone along the entire northern border. This strip completely removes the close threat of invasion. We destroyed nearly 90 percent of the missile and rocket stockpiles. Hezbollah today is a shadow of itself,” he said.
“We haven’t finished the job yet. This will not be achieved tomorrow. It requires patience and continuous effort. We agreed to a temporary ceasefire in Lebanon. For the first time in 43 years, Israel and Lebanon are talking directly. We will give an opportunity for a diplomatic and military solution. The road to peace is still long, but we have begun it. Our one hand holds the weapon; our other hand is extended for peace,” Netanyahu said.
Hezbollah has vowed to reject whatever comes of the direct negotiations between Beirut and Tel Aviv.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has publicly urged Israel not to attack Lebanon, after several Israeli violations of the truce took place post-midnight.
“This deal [with Iran] is not tied, in any way, to Lebanon, but we will, MAKE LEBANON GREAT AGAIN! … This deal is in no way subject to Lebanon, either, but the USA will, separately, work with Lebanon, and deal with the Hezbollah situation in an appropriate manner. Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer. They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the US. Enough is enough!!!” the president wrote in two Truth Social posts.
The 10-day ceasefire took effect at 12:00 am. The Israeli army had been bombing south Lebanon violently in the hours leading up to the truce. Hezbollah launched heavy rocket attacks against the city of Nahariya and elsewhere in Israel before the truce took effect.
At the start of the war and ground operation in Lebanon, Israeli officials vowed to “dismantle” Hezbollah and establish a “defensive buffer zone” from the Israeli border all the way to the Litani River.
Yet the resistance military’s capabilities were unaffected, and the Israeli army failed to take control of Bint Jbeil, Khiam, and other southern towns.
Nevertheless, Israeli forces remain positioned in the south, and Hezbollah has warned that its hands are “on the trigger,” while urging residents not to return until the situation is safe.
Residents of Israel’s northern settlements and opposition leaders erupted in anger over the Lebanon truce, viewing it as a government failure that has left Hezbollah in a position of strength.
