Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel must be able to enforce any ceasefire deal in Lebanon amid reports of ongoing truce negotiations.
“The main issue is not the paperwork of this or that agreement, but Israel’s ability and determination to enforce the agreement and thwart any threat to its security from Lebanon,” Netanyahu told US officials, according to Reuters.
His comments came a day after Israel’s Kan broadcaster reported on a leaked draft for a ceasefire deal that was drawn up by the US, which includes provisions that are non-starters for both Hezbollah and the Lebanese government.
Under the draft deal, there would be an initial 60-day ceasefire, and during that time, Israeli troops would withdraw from southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah would move north of the Litani River. The Lebanese Armed Forces and UN peacekeepers would then be deployed in the area.
The ceasefire plan is similar to UN Security Council Resolution 1701 except for two major differences. The US-drafted plan would allow for Israeli planes to still fly over Lebanon, and the Israeli military would have the right to fire in “self-defense” and to operate in southern Lebanon if it thought Hezbollah was violating the deal.
People familiar with the Lebanese government’s thinking told Financial Times that the draft was “unacceptable” to Beirut. “Israel can’t claim control over the south and air space,” one of the sources said.
Other sources told FT that the leak was likely designed to damage the talks so a deal wouldn’t be reached before the US presidential election on November 5. Netanyahu’s comments on Thursday could have also been an attempt to sabotage negotiations.
