Intercepted: Lebanon's "Ceasefire" Deal With Israel, and What It Means for Gaza

About this episode

Israeli Prime Minister and international fugitive Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a speech on Tuesday encouraging his ministers to accept a ceasefire deal with Lebanon. The truce with Lebanon, Netanyahu said, would allow Israel to rearm itself and focus on the war against Hamas and Iran. He also claimed that the U.S. had assured Israel that it would be permitted to resume its military attacks on Lebanon if Hezbollah violates the agreement. The proposed agreement between Lebanon and Israel does not include any terms requiring Israel to end its war of annihilation against the Palestinians in Gaza. Netanyahu’s cabinet voted to accept it, 10-1. Itamar Ben-Gvir, Netanyahu’s far-right minister of national security, was the sole vote against it. Throughout the day Tuesday, as the Lebanese people waited for word on whether their government would accept the deal, Israel pounded Lebanon with massive airstrikes, including fire belt bombings in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiya. The full specifics of the proposal, which was spearheaded by the U.S. and France, have not yet been made public. In his speech announcing the agreement, President Joe Biden characterized the deal as a permanent c