Russia working with US to broker Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire – report

One of the major players would be Russia as guarantor that Syria would not continue to be a weapons pipeline.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

Details emerged on a possible ceasefire deal between Hezbollah and Israel that would include Russia as one of its major players as well as the U.S. and the Lebanese army, Channel 12 reported Sunday night.

Amit Segal reported that once the deal is concluded, the IDF would withdraw most of its forces from southern Lebanon, leaving only a small presence in the villages on the Lebanese side of the border for 60 days, while Hezbollah would withdraw to behind the Litani River.

During what Segal called “the second stage,” the Lebanese army would enter the area, “and when they finish,” the IDF would return completely to Israel and the permanent ceasefire would officially begin.

The implication was that the Lebanese would complete the job of ridding the border area of all Hezbollah weaponry and rockets before the IDF left.

This would in essence be the implementation of the major conditions of UN Security Resolution 1701 that ended the Second Lebanon War.

What was left unsaid in the report is that Hezbollah is known to have thoroughly infiltrated the national army, and therefore the willingness of the soldiers on the ground to fulfill any such mission may be considered questionable.

Israeli troops have found thousands of rifles, machine guns, ammunition, rockets and their launchers, explosive devices and other weapons throughout the villages they have already cleared, as well as underneath them in Hezbollah-dug tunnels.

Russia will be an indirect but important player in the deal, Segal said, as it will ostensibly be the guarantor “that Syria will not continue to be a weapons highway” to Hezbollah.

Moscow maintains a mostly discreet military presence and has great influence in Syria, having helped dictator Bashar Assad retain power and take back about half his country from various rebel groups after civil war broke out in his country in 2011.

According to various Hebrew media Monday, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer secretly visited Russia last week for four days to discuss details of their involvement in the ceasefire process.

It seems that President Vladimir Putin is seriously considering answering positively, as a “senior Kremlin official” told Kan News that “Russia is prepared to assist and support anything that would stop the killing of civilians and prevent the destruction of civilian infrastructure.”

According to Segal, the “dividends” that Russia would receive from its cooperation would be two-fold.

One is respect, as “this is an international agreement of insane proportions,” he said. The other is that “The Biden administration will allow Russian companies that function in Syria to be exempt from sanctions” that most international Russian business are subject to due to the country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Global sanctions on Russia have hit its economy badly in the almost three years since its play to annex its southern neighbor began.

Israel is looking to enshrine its right to oversee the disarmament and ability to enter Lebanon if it sees that Hezbollah is again rearming and taking over the border area.

Jerusalem is seeking an American commitment that Washington will back its right to do so. Segal speculated that after Donald Trump assumes office, it will be easier for Israel to take action over the border.

Meanwhile, Dermer is landing in the American capital Monday to possibly hammer out these and other details of the incipient agreement.