Israel prepares for ceasefire after heavy loss in Lebanon

Following heavy casualties and financial losses, Israel is reportedly ready to agree to a ceasefire with Lebanon, having also prepared a draft agreement.

According to the Times of Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and security officials have reached a consensus that the time for a ceasefire in Lebanon has arrived.

An emergency meeting chaired by Netanyahu included high-ranking Israeli officials who agreed on the necessity of pursuing a deal to end the fighting in Lebanon.

Reports indicate that Israeli security authorities informed Netanyahu about the increasing human and financial toll in Lebanon.

They noted that after neutralizing Hezbollah's leadership, any continued presence in Lebanon would only result in further losses. Netanyahu accepted the security officials' stance on the matter.

Earlier it was reported that Israel is facing a shortage of soldiers after more than a year into the Gaza war.

According to an AFP report, the Israeli army's reservists are exhausted and it is struggling to recruit soldiers just as it opens a new front in Lebanon.

Some 300,000 reservists have been called up since the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, according to the army, 18 percent of them men over 40 who should have been exempted.

Military service is mandatory from the age of 18 for Israeli men and women, though several exemptions apply.

Israel is waging a multi-front war against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.