A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah began at four in the morning on November 27. The agreement calls for the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1701, which was agreed upon in the wake of the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. The resolution was never fulfilled, however, as Hezbollah continued to operate and increase its strength in southern Lebanon.
The current ceasefire agreement once again calls for the “disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon,” which makes the Lebanese Army the only authorized force in southern Lebanon. Among the 13 clauses of the agreement is one that “the Government of Lebanon will prevent Hezbollah and all other armed groups in the territory of Lebanon from carrying out any operations against Israel, and Israel will not carry out any offensive military operations against Lebanese targets, including civilian, military, or other state targets, in the territory of Lebanon by land, air, or sea.”
In addition, the US and France will work to enable the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) to deploy 10,000 soldiers to southern Lebanon. This total is in addition to around 10,000 United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) personnel in southern Lebanon. “Further, the United States and France intend to work with the international community to support the LAF as appropriate to achieve such an increase in its deployment levels in Lebanon, and to improve its capabilities,” the agreement says.
Israel is expected to withdraw to the Blue Line, which is the border between Israel and Lebanon. The agreement specifies this withdrawal will take place in a phased process “which should not exceed 60 days.” The Lebanese Army is supposed to coordinate and backfill areas from which the IDF withdraws. The IDF controls a number of villages within several miles of the border, the result of the ground operation Israel launched on October 1, 2024.
Even as the ceasefire began, there were concerns that Lebanese civilians and Hezbollah would seek to return to southern Lebanon. Israeli President Isaac Herzog noted that “the fundamental test of the ceasefire agreement taking shape along the Israel-Lebanon border will be in its full implementation, ensuring the security of all residents of the north of Israel.” He added that “our enemies must understand: what was will be no more. We fought fiercely as a united nation with selfless determination to ensure the safety of Israel’s citizens.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also issued a statement on November 27 as reports emerged that Lebanese were seeking to return to areas close to the border, potentially causing clashes with the IDF. “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have directed the IDF to not allow the entry of the population to the area of the villages adjacent to the border with southern Lebanon, as per the first stage of implementing the framework of the ceasefire,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office noted. “The IDF has arrested four Hezbollah militants, including a local commander, who entered the prohibited area, and will continue to take strong action against any violation,” the statement added.
IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that Israel had degraded Hezbollah’s capabilities over the two-month operation that started on September 23, 2024. The operation began with widespread airstrikes followed by a ground incursion a week later. Israel’s military has estimated that more than 2,000 Hezbollah operatives were eliminated on the ground in southern Lebanon and more were killed in airstrikes. “We degraded Hezbollah’s launch capabilities, struck its strategic assets, eliminated its leadership, and damaged its command and control chain. We have also targeted its ability to rearm and resupply, and we have severely disrupted its ability to carry out its planned infiltration into our territory, a plan it had meticulously prepared to carry out on the day of command,” Hagari added on November 27.
In southern Lebanon, the IDF’s 146th Division continues to enforce violations linked to the ceasefire agreement, the IDF said. It was unclear how many other Israeli units from several other divisions are still in southern Lebanon. Units from up to five divisions were there at the peak of operations, but the overall number may be less today. The commanding officer of the 146th Division, Brigadier General Yeftah Norkin, visited soldiers of the 226th Brigade in its area of operation, the IDF said on November 27. The update on the 146th Division includes the only specific details the IDF provided about continued activity on the ground.
