An Israeli source familiar with the Lebanese ceasefire talks has cast doubt on the likelihood of an imminent deal, in remarks to CNN.
The source noted that while progress has been made, “Hezbollah’s refusal to accept Israel’s demand for the right to strike Hezbollah targets in the event of a ceasefire violation could jeopardize the process.”
Without this clause, the source added, it is uncertain whether Netanyahu can secure cabinet approval for the agreement.
Bezalel Smotrich, the far-right Israeli minister of finance, said on Monday that “full operational freedom” for the Israeli military in southern Lebanon is “a non-negotiable condition.”
“At the end of the war, we will have operational freedom in Gaza, and so we will also have operational freedom in Lebanon. We will not agree to any arrangement that is not worth the paper it is written on,” he said. “We are changing the security paradigm and will not return to decades of concepts of containment and threats without response. This will not happen again.”
In an interview with Al Araby TV, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati dismissed reports of demands to give the Israeli military operational freedom in south Lebanon as “speculation,” adding that he hasn’t seen such a clause in the proposal.