Israel-Lebanon latest: Biden to push for Gaza ceasefire after Hezbollah truce agreed by Israel

Massive explosions from Israeli warplanes set Beirut’s skies ablaze again on Tuesday, as the UN warned of an “unprecedented humanitarian crisis”.

But amid the escalating violence a glimmer of hope emerged: the potential end to a devastating conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, which has claimed thousands of lives since it erupted 14 months ago in the wake of the devastating Gaza war.

Israeli government sources told The Independent that Israel was poised to approve a US-France plan for a ceasefire with Hezbollah. Reports suggested Israel’s security cabinet was expected to convene as early as Tuesday evening to sign off on the proposal in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“It seems very positive,” one official told The Independent.

The pressure is mounting - the European Union’s top diplomat Joseph Borrell said on Tuesday that there were “no excuses” for Israel to refuse the ceasefire, adding that all its security concerns had been addressed and that Lebanon would “fall apart” if it was not pushed through.

But in northern Israel, news of the proposal sparked outrage among hardline local mayors whose populations have been evacuated further south. Concerns have also risen about resistance from far-right members of Netanyahu’s cabinet, who may also attempt to block the deal.

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Lebanon’s ministry of public health says seven people have been injured following Israeli strikes on the towns of Srifa and Bazourieh in the coastal area of Tyre, in the country’s south.

The update was made on X as Israel continues is bombardment of Beirut and dozens of targets in southern Lebanon.

Earlier, Lebanese foreign minister Abdallah Bou Habib expressed hope at a conference in Rome that a deal to end the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah could be sealed by Tuesday night.

He said the Lebanese army would be ready to have at least 5,000 troops deployed in southern Lebanon as Israeli troops withdraw, and that the United States could play a role in rebuilding infrastructure destroyed by Israeli strikes.

Israeli forces are not letting up on their attack on the Lebanese capital, issuing another evacuation alert for the southern Beirut area of Ghobeiry a short time ago.

IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on X that residents in buildings specified on an aerial map accompanying the warning should evacuate immediately.

“You are located near facilities and interests affiliated with Hezbollah, and the IDF will work against them forcefully in the near future for your safety and the safety of your family members,” Mr Adraee said.

A building has been demolished and a cemetery damaged in imagery that shows the destruction caused by Israeli airstrikes in Beirut.

The bombardments are the latest in a series of strikes as Israel and Hezbollah continue to exchange fire ahead of the discussion of a ceasefire in Israel’s national security cabinet later today.

Israeli fighter jets have bombed dozens of Hezbollah targets in Beirut and southern Lebanon, according to the IDF, as fighting intensifies in the lead-up to a ceasefire deal being struck between the sides later today.

In a series of statements posted on social media platform X, the Israeli Defence Force said it acted on intelligence to attack buildings used by Hezbollah’s coastal missile unit, military headquarters, and other infrastructure this morning.

“All of the targets that were attacked were deliberately placed by Hezbollah in the heart of the civilian population, another example of the terrorist organization Hezbollah’s cynical use of Lebanese citizens as a human shield,” the IDF said, adding it took steps to warn the civilian population ahead of the strikes.

Before the attack, many steps were taken to reduce the chance of harming civilians, including early intelligence gathering, accurate observation, and advance warnings for the evacuation of the population in the area.

The IDF said it also targeted weapons, anti-tank missile, and air-defence depots in the Bint Jabal area in the country’s south, and in the early morning attacked 30 sites in the south that included Hezbollah weapons caches and military headquarters.

“Additional weapons depots associated with the ‘Nasser’ unit, which is responsible for many terrorist attacks against the northern settlements and the IDF forces, were also attacked,” the IDF statement said of the unit operating on the conflict’s southern front.

Israel’s deputy foreign minister Sharren Haskel has slammed the recent arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a political decision that only serves the interests of Israel’s enemies.

In a broadcast speech, Ms Haskel said the warrant “deprived the most threatened country in the world” of its right to defend itself.

“Israel has been attak from six different fronts from a few countries that are surrounding it and are far away,” she said, adding the ICC has made itself a “vessel” at the disposal of extremist groups.

“From a political perspective, it actually encourages the axis of evil.”

She said the fact that both Hamas and Iran congratulated the issuing of the warrant, which also targeted Mr Netanyahu’s former defence minister Yoav Gallant, over alleged war crimes in Gaza.

Israel’s former justice minister Yossi Beilin has told news broadcaster Al Jazeera prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be able to secure the majority needed to land the ceasefire deal when he meets with the national security cabinet later today.

“There are some ministers, especially the lunatic ones, who will be against any ceasefire anywhere in the world, but they are not threatening neither the decision nor even the government,” Al Jazeera has reported Mr Beilin as saying during an interview from Tel Aviv.

CNN is also reporting Mr Netanyahu has agreed in-principle to the deal.

It comes after Israel’s national security minister and far-right party leader Itamar Ben Gvir warned a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah is a “big mistake”.

Al Jazeera has reported Beilin as saying many Israelis opposed a ceasefire. “This is understandable, because as long as Hezbollah is an armed militia in Lebanon, it takes hostage the government of Lebanon ... and is a threat on Israel,” he said.

The prospect of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon‘s Hezbollah without a similar deal with Hamas in Gaza has left Palestinians feeling abandoned and fearful that Israel will focus squarely on its onslaught in the enclave.

The Iran-backed Hezbollah began firing missiles at Israel in solidarity with Hamas after the Palestinian militant group attacked Israel in October of 2023, triggering the Gaza war.

But while diplomacy focuses on Lebanon, Palestinians say they feel let down by the world after 14 months of conflict which has devastated the Gaza Strip and killed more than 44,000 people.

“It showed Gaza is an orphan, with no support and no mercy from the unjust world,” said Abdel-Ghani, a father of five who only gave a first name.

“I am angry against the world that has failed to bring one solution to the two regions ... maybe, there will be another deal for Gaza, maybe.”

Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman, said he and others had “high hopes that Hezbollah would remain steadfast until the end, but it seems they couldn’t.”

An Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire without a deal for Gaza would be a blow to Hamas, whose leaders had hoped the expansion of the war into Lebanon would pressure Israel to reach a comprehensive ceasefire.

The Times of Israel is reporting rocket and drone fire into border communities in the country’s north has seen two elderly people and a soldier injured.

According to the national news oulet, the Israeli Defence Force reported shooting down a Hezbollah drone that went into Golan Heights, near the Israel-Lebanon-Syria border, early on Tuesday morning.

However, a female IDF soldier was taken to hospital after being seriously wounded in a drone attack on the Mount Hermon area hours later.

Imagery has emerged of the Israeli airstrikes in southern Beirut this morning ahead of an impending ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah.

The photo shows sections of the city up in smoke, after the Israeli Defence Force issued an evacuation warning ahead of the targeted strikes.

Hezbollah has kept up rocket fire into Israel as pressure mounts on Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept the terms of a deal that could pave the way for greater piece in the region.