What does the Lebanon ceasefire mean?

On Tuesday afternoon, the Israeli security cabinet approved a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the cabinet and then with a pre-recorded video addressed the Israeli public, expressing his support for the deal. But in the leadup to the security cabinet vote, and while Netanyahu was making his case in support of the deal, Israel has been engaging in some of its heaviest bombardment of southern Lebanon since mid-September. On Monday the 26th, attacks killed 55 people and injured 160 in Lebanon. And on Tuesday, the IDF launched an intense blitz of 20 bombings in just 2 minutes, then later in the day bombed an apartment building in Hamra, a commercial area of Beirut.

Over 3,800 people have been killed in Lebanon and nearly 16,000 wounded by the IDF since October 7, 2023.

In making his public case for the ceasefire, which is a much-needed development to give reprieve to the people of Southern Lebanon, Netanyahu gave three reasons: First, to “focus on the Iranian threat.” Second, to “give our forces a breather and replenish stocks,” referring to the IDF. And third, to “separate the fronts” in the war.

To make sense of these breaking developments and put them into an appropriate historical context, we’re joined by Richard Becker. He’s an anti-imperialist activist and organizer and the author of Palestine, Israel and the US Empire, which you can find at 1804 Books.