What happened
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Tuesday urged his governing cabinet to approve a ceasefire between his country and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The announcement that Israel was moving forward with the proposal came hours after a series of Israeli air strikes that left dozens dead and injured near downtown Beirut. The agreement came into effect at 4 a.m. local time Wednesday (10 p.m. ET Tuesday).
Who said what
Netanyahu announced his support for the proposal in a televised address that "appeared to be aimed primarily at rebuffing right-wing criticism of the deal in Israel," said The New York Times. The ceasefire is "not the end of the war" between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon, said The Jerusalem Post, and Netanyahu and other officials emphasized that Israel was reserving the right to "respond to any threat." The prime minister is putting his weight behind the ceasefire to "focus on Iran, replenish depleted arms supplies, give the army a rest, and finally isolate Hamas" as the war in Gaza rages on, said Reuters.
What next?
The ceasefire was "very fragile" and would be "very difficult to maintain and sustain in the long run," Alon Pinkas, a former ambassador and consul general of Israel in New York, said to Al Jazeera. Hezbollah, which includes a broad social services organization and political wing represented in the Lebanese parliament, will "remain active" by "helping displaced Lebanese return to their villages and rebuilding areas destroyed by Israeli strikes," senior Hezbollah official Hassan Fadlallah said to Reuters.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
5 museum-grade cartoons about Trump's Smithsonian purgeCartoons Artists take on institutional rebranding, exhibit interpretation, and more
-
Settling the West Bank: a death knell for a Palestine state?In the Spotlight The reality on the ground is that the annexation of the West Bank is all but a done deal
-
Sudoku medium: August 23, 2025The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Judge: Trump's US attorney in NJ serving unlawfullySpeed Read The appointment of Trump's former personal defense lawyer, Alina Habba, as acting US attorney in New Jersey was ruled 'unlawful'
-
Third judge rejects DOJ's Epstein records requestSpeed Read Judge Richard Berman was the third and final federal judge to reject DOJ petitions to unseal Epstein-related grand jury material
-
'It's our financialized economy in miniature'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Texas OKs gerrymander sought by TrumpSpeed Read The House approved a new congressional map aimed at flipping Democratic-held seats to Republican control
-
Israel starts Gaza assault, approves West Bank planSpeed Read Israel forces pushed into the outskirts of Gaza City and Netanyahu's government gave approval for a settlement to cut the occupied Palestinian territory in two
-
Court says labor board's structure unconstitutionalSpeed Read The ruling has broad implications for labor rights enforcement in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi
-
Feds seek harsh charges in DC arrests, except for riflesSpeed Read The DOJ said 465 arrests had been made in D.C. since Trump federalized law enforcement there two weeks ago
-
'Enforcement of rulings remains spotty at best'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
