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Israel announces 10-day ceasefire with Lebanon; ambassador says Israel will hold positions and is open to talks
Summary
Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said a 10-day ceasefire with Lebanon will take effect in one hour and that Israel will "hold our positions" while remaining open to negotiations, but warned Hezbollah remains the primary security challenge.
Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, announced a 10-day ceasefire with Lebanon that he said would take effect in one hour at 5:00 p.m., and told reporters Israel will maintain positions and "react" if threatened.
Danon said the pause was confirmed by Prime Minister Netanyahu and framed it as an opportunity for direct talks between Israel and Lebanon. He described the pause as limited and emphasized that "we are not going anywhere. We are holding our positions," signaling Israel's intention to keep forces in place during the ceasefire period.
The ambassador repeatedly distinguished the Lebanese government from Hezbollah, saying the primary problem on the ground is Hezbollah's role in directing fighters and that the organization "doesn't take orders from the Lebanese government." He said Israel supports negotiations with Lebanon but acknowledged "it's complicated" because of Hezbollah's integration into Lebanese politics and security structures.
When asked by Laura of the Associated Press whether Israeli forces would remain in a larger area of southern Lebanon while Hezbollah said it would continue fighting until Israeli forces left, Danon said Israel would "follow very carefully what's happening on the ground" and that "if we will feel threatened we will react." He framed Israel's approach as a mix of vigilance and willingness to test direct talks: "We are open. We are open to negotiate. We want to see peace between Israel and Lebanon."
On whether negotiations might move to Washington, Danon said Israel had held talks in Washington earlier in the week and "we want to thank Secretary Rubio and his team for their efforts," adding, "whenever the president will call us we will come," while refraining from offering a firm timetable.
Danon urged the Lebanese government to "apply sovereignty" and suggested recent operations had weakened Iran and Hezbollah. He repeatedly cautioned that the Lebanese government faces pressure from Iran and said Israel could not speak for Beirut's decisions.
The briefing ended after questions from the press; Danon provided no formal timeline for follow-up talks and made clear that, while Israel was open to negotiations, it intended to keep a security posture in southern Lebanon for the duration of the announced ceasefire.
