> blinken says lebanon ceasefire will be boon to efforts for ending gaza war > us secretary of state antony blinken says the ceasefire deal being finalized between israel and lebanon will boost efforts to secure an end to the war in gaza. > one of the things that hamas has sought from day one is to get others in on the fight, to create multiple fronts and as long as it thought that was possible, thats one of the reasons it has held back from doing what is necessary to end the conflict, blinken says in remarks to reporters after meeting counterparts at the g7 in italy, if it sees that the cavalry is not on the way, that may incentivize it to do what it needs to do to end this conflict. > he says we are in the final stages of the lebanon ceasefire negotiations, stressing that the agreement on the table will save lives in lebanon and israel and allow civilians near the blue line to return to their homes, while deescalating tensions in the region more broadly. > the biden administration is committed to working with the trump transition team in order to ensure the implementation of the lebanon deal, he says when asked. > according to blinken, the ceasefire deal ensures the effective implementation of un security council resolution 1701, which was passed in 2006 to end the second lebanon war by forcing hezbollah to disarm and retreat beyond the litani river, 18 miles north of the border with israel. that resolution has gone unimplemented from the get-go, with hezbollah violations allowed to go unchecked. > the new deal being finalized envisions the lebanese army deploying into southern lebanon along with the unifil observer mission and a new oversight mechanism, blinken says.
Philippines