“Do not surrender to terrorism. Do not make this shameful agreement,” says northern mayor.
By World Israel News Staff
Israel expects Hezbollah to intensify its rocket, missile, and drone attacks ahead of a truce, which is expected to be announced in the near future.
According to the New York Times, both Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to the terms of a 60-day ceasefire, after the terror group received a “green light” from Iran to proceed with the truce.
Israeli security officials have warned that Hezbollah will likely ramp up its attacks on civilian communities and military assets in Israel in the coming hours, as a final gesture before the pause in fighting.
The Home Front Command tightened restrictions on gatherings in northern Israel, including shuttering schools and banning large events, in light of the likelihood of accelerated rocket and missile fire.
While the terms of the ceasefire have not been officially made public, it’s believed that Israel will withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon for at least 60 days.
In return, Hezbollah will move its terror forces north of the Litani River.
The embattled Lebanese Army – whose ability to rein in Hezbollah appears doubtful – will be responsible for ensuring that southern Lebanon is free of Hezbollah.
Displaced residents of southern Lebanon will be allowed to return to their homes.
However, it’s unclear whether residents of northern Israel – tens of thousands of whom have been displaced for more than a year – will be able to return to their homes.
Many mayors of northern municipalities slammed the expected ceasefire, saying that Israel had not yet restored security to the residents of the north nor decisively defeated Hezbollah.
“Do not surrender to terrorism. Do not make this shameful agreement. This is a sad arrangement, an agreement of surrender by the Israeli government to Hezbollah, an arm of Iran,” Metula Mayor David Azoulay told Hebrew-language outlet Channel 13.
“The threat has not been removed. We will not agree to return to the reality of October 7 in the north,” he added.
Azoulay stressed that some 70 percent of the homes in Metula had been damaged by Hezbollah fire, and that reconstruction would take “at least two years.”