A man walks past buildings destroyed after an Israeli air strike targeted Tayyouneh, on the outskirts of Beirut's southern suburbs, Nov. 26, 2024. (Credit: Ibrahim Amro/AFP)
While Lebanon’s sake had been put on hold until the end of the Israeli security cabinet meeting scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, Israeli officials’ statements opposing the cease-fire agreement with Lebanon had significantly increased in the last few hours before the cease-fire was concluded. U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein had created a sense of optimism when he confidently said that a cease-fire deal would soon enter into effect. However, political reactions from Tel Aviv had seemed to complicate matters. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had already approved the agreement but was then seeking to convince his ultra-nationalist and far-right coalition partners, according to several Lebanese officials. Many of them continued to vehemently oppose any cease-fire chance, notably Itamar Ben-Gvir, Jewish supremacist and Israel's far-right...
While Lebanon’s sake had been put on hold until the end of the Israeli security cabinet meeting scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, Israeli officials’ statements opposing the cease-fire agreement with Lebanon had significantly increased in the last few hours before the cease-fire was concluded. U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein had created a sense of optimism when he confidently said that a cease-fire deal would soon enter into effect. However, political reactions from Tel Aviv had seemed to complicate matters. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had already approved the agreement but was then seeking to convince his ultra-nationalist and far-right coalition partners, according to several Lebanese officials. Many of them continued to vehemently oppose any cease-fire chance, notably Itamar Ben-Gvir, Jewish supremacist and Israel's...