Israel And Hezbollah Agree Ceasefire Following Days Of Intense Fighting | NewsX World

[00:00:13]Hello and welcome. I'm Ellie Richardson and you are watching the newsroom. Let's take a look at some of the top stories of this hour.

[00:00:21]Planned US Iran talks in Switzerland were cancelled as fighting fled in Lebanon in which 18 people were killed and four Israeli soldiers, creating new uncertainty about the timing of negotiations on turning an interim agreement into a more permanent Middle East peace deal.

[00:00:41]Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire set to begin at 4 p.m. local time on Friday, adding that negotiators for the US and Qataris worked out the deal with help from Iran, explaining that after the exchange of fire earlier today, Israel and Hezbollah are now in a ceasefire. [music] The Netherlands has said it has redirected a frigate towards straight of Hammer in order to be able to join a possible international mission there.

[00:01:17]The air [music] defense is currently in the Indo-acific region and would take several weeks to arrive in the region in the straight of form.

[00:01:28]UK Prime Minister Karma has said he will not walk away vowing to fight any challenge from his leading party rival Andy Burnham and potentially ushering in a new bout of political instability.

[00:01:38]Burnham, the Greater Manchester Mayor, won a decisive victory for Labour to claim a parliamentary seat in Northwest England.

[00:01:48]A Ukrainian man who carried out a series of arson attacks on property connected to British Prime Minister Kama last year [music] has been jailed for seven years.

[00:01:57]Over 5 days last May, police were called to a fires in a house in North London connected to Star.

[00:02:06]Russia said it's open to dialogue with European countries but would not accept ultimatums [music] as signers increase that EU may seek talks over with Moscow after largely shunning contacts. Kremlin spokesman said common sense dictated the need for such contacts because of the enormous number of complex issues on [music] the agenda.

[00:02:29]Portugal's center-right government suffered its heaviest blow since returning to power last May when Parliament rejected its Labor reform proposal. With the far right and center left party joining forces to block it, the government have proposed changes to more than 100 articles in the labor code.

[00:02:50]Sri Lanka is battling the worst outbreak of mosquito-b born deni fever in years with more than 44,000 cases and 28 deaths recorded since January putting public hospitals under strain. Dengi is common during Sri Lanka's monsoon season.

[00:03:10]And for your top story this hour, Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a ceasefire set to begin at 400 p.m. local time on Friday. According to a senior US official speaking to reporters, the deal comes after a fresh exchange of fire earlier in the day and masks a significant diplomatic development in the escalating conflict. The US officials said negotiators from the United States and Qatar worked to finalize the agreement with additional support reportedly coming from Iran. The statement indicated that both sides are now moving towards implementing the ceasefire following the days of intense crossber strikes. Meanwhile, the White House did not provide a reason for the cancellation of US Vice President JD Vance's planned trip, saying only that logistical arrangements for the talks remain complex and unpredictable.

[00:04:03]the uncertainty. Officials said diplomatic channels remain open and that both sides are expected to exchange further to consolidate the agreement.

[00:04:14]We are now being joined by Dan Perry who's an international affairs expert joining us live from Tel Aviv. Dan, thank you so much for joining us here today on the channel. Pleasure as always being able to have you on. Now, after months of escalating violence and repeated ceasefire failures, what makes this agreement different, if in any way at all? Is there any reason to believe this truce will hold? Or is it simply another temporary pause before renewed hostilities?

[00:04:45]>> It's basically uh Donald Trump forcing Netanyahu to stand down in in Lebanon uh because he wants the deal with Iran to go through because he's desperate uh for the threat of her moves to open. That's more or less the situation. But we have a fundamentally unstable situation because Hezbollah remains not disarmed and Hisbala simply must be disarmed.

[00:05:09]There is no way that Israel is going to accept continued uh threats from Hezbollah. and it's aligned, as I've said many times on your show, with the government of Lebanon that cannot any longer accept uh its sovereignty to be uh undermined and and essentially rendered laughable by the presence of Hisbala as an armed force stronger than the army. So whatever happens now and I do assess to your question that uh the ceasefire will hold for a time in order to enable the larger issue in the Persian Gulf to unfold. uh this issue has not gone away and when one way or another Hezbollah will need to be disarmed in Lebanon even if a moderate uh and um center-left uh liberal Israeli government comes to power in October as seems likely they too will not be able to accept the continued presence of his threat on their northern border and neither should Lebanon. So this is a major issue for the midterm, but in the short term, yes, I think probably a ceasefire will hold.

[00:06:20]>> And then also, um, Iran reportedly played a role in helping secure this ceasefire. Does Tran's involvement signal a genuine desire uh for regional deescalation or is Iran seeking greater leverage in its ongoing negotiations with Washington considering the fact that there was meant to be a formal signing today in Switzerland and that has been cancelled due to the fact of these renewed strikes in Lebanon.

[00:06:51]Iran seeks to uh maintain its proxy uh militia network around the region. Some will say the terrorist network. Uh and really I I'm I'm not prepared to say this is Iran. the Iranian regime that is not elected, not legitimate, not democratic, uh, wants to continue to wreck havoc in a region in Syria and Lebanon and Yemen and Israel, Palestine and Jordan and Iraq, uh, via this uh, proxy network. And so that is why they're seeking to link the Lebanon Arena and the Persian Gulf arena. And very sad to say, Trump in his desperation to uh see this deal go through and I understand his desperation because he had no plan for the p for the blocking of the straight of Hermuz insanely um is prepared to give Iran that linkage and it's most unfortunate because it enables Iran to pretend that it is somehow the protector of Lebanon when in fact it is the destroyer of Lebanon.

[00:07:53]And um Dan stay with us please. We're now also just introducing Jason Isacson who's a chief policy officer of the AJ AJ joining us live from New Delhi. Thank you so much Jason for joining us here today on NewsX World. Now um the ceasefire comes amid efforts to revive broader US Iran diplomacy. To what extent is stability in southern Lebanon now tied to the success or failure of negotiations between the United States and Iran?

[00:08:27]Well, thank you for having me on NewsX and uh look, there's obviously a link uh that link has been clearly established in the memorandum of understanding and is very much in the minds of the Iranians that they have um a satellite uh in uh in Lebanon that they are invested in protecting, defending, protecting, arming, um ordering. Um and so I I I I really do fear that um the ongoing conflict uh the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel will have some effect of course on the progress on the Iran track, but they should be separate tracks. They should not be the same. Um and and I also want to point out Israel has no territorial claims in Lebanon. It simply wants to defend its people. And when four soldiers were killed last night and others were wounded early this morning um naturally by Hezbollah by Hezbollah anti-tank fire or or rocket fire or drone fire or a combination naturally Israel will respond as any country would respond and there's nothing in the memorandum of understanding to constrain that. And you know I'm sorry that there wasn't a ceremony in Geneva today. It wasn't necessary. The president has already signed theou. The president of Iran has apparently signed it digitally as well.

[00:09:53]Um but there should be no linkage between what happens um on the Lebanese front where Israel is defending its people from attacks by a militia created by Iran in Lebanon that controls Lebanon uh and that is basically doing everything it possibly can to prevent the possibility of Lebanese Israeli peace. There should be no linkage between that theater and what's going on between the United States and Iran.

[00:10:21]>> And also Jason um Vice President JD Vance's planned trip for US Iran talks were postponed as tensions escalated.

[00:10:31]Does this highlight how quickly um local conflicts uh can derail wider diplom diplomatic initiatives in the Middle East? You know, I I don't want to give the Hezbollah credit for uh derailing anything at this point. Um if if the negotiations are getting off to a slow start, um it's not so surprising. Iran is a very difficult customer. It's the terrorist supporting entity. It's the world's largest, most aggressive state sponsor of terrorism. Um I don't expect a lot from the Iranians in these negotiations going forward. And I don't expect things to start on time and I certainly don't think expect things to end on time. But the United States is committed to coming up with some motus with endi with the Islamic Republic of Iran in which its missile stockpile is reduced, its support for terrorist proxies is reduced and crucially its progress toward military nuclear capability is eliminated. Um whether that is going to be possible through these negotiations is an open question.

[00:11:32]It's worth trying. Um, of course it was really important that the straight up muse was opened or is going to be opened. Uh, that was crucial. But let's not lose sight of the fact that there was a reason that this war was undertaken by the United States on February 28th and it was to assure greater stability and security in the Middle East for all of our allies in the Middle East and for American interests more broadly and for global security more broadly. Uh, and and that is a a worthy goal. Let's hope that negotiations going forward after thisou will advance toward that goal.

[00:12:07]>> And um Dan, if I could please come back to you. Even if the guns fall silent today, the core disputes remain unresolved, including Israeli security concerns. Has Bullah's military presence and questions about broader arrangements? What would a durable political settlement actually require?

[00:12:31]Well, if you're actually serious about a durable political settlement, it would require the removal of the regime in Iran, which is an oppressive, despotic regime that, as I said before, is not legitimate and is uh committing aggression against the entire region with their proxy militias. Uh I don't know how realistic that is and what is a time frame where that will happen. It will certainly happen eventually, but will it happen in next year or two or three? I do not know. uh in in the immediate environments of Israel, there is simply no way that anything really good and really meaningful is going to happen until Hamas and Hisbal are disarmed. And for this, there needs to be significant uh uh international and perhaps uh especially western and Arab focus. And in the case of Hisbala, which is the current discussion, uh it's obvious that no one wants Israel to be uh the the the solver of this problem, and it would require Israel to occupy twothirds of Lebanon and march up to the Becca Valley. Uh Trump amused about Syria doing the job. That's a little bit farical. Uh Lebanon is allergic to Syrian occupations because they experienced it. Uh and the idea that a former jihadist is going to take on a slightly different kind of jihadist in the case of Hezbollah, it's wrong. Uh Lebanon is simply going to have to ask the world for help. It's going to have to appeal to the security council to uh assist uh in sending over whatever forces are necessary to deal with Hisba that is encircled at this point, largely present in the northeast corner of of Lebanon. And there there's no other way that this is going to happen unless this occurs. As for Hamas, a little bit more difficult. Uh the creative uh uh machinations are going to be needed to get Hamas to uh disarm in in in Gaza.

[00:14:37]And uh I I think in both cases a factor is going to be uh whether the Arab League and in particular the Persian Gulf countries, Saudi Arabia and various Emirates make clear that there is monumental aid ready to go in instantaneously uh on the condition that this happens.

[00:14:56]In both cases, Lebanon and Syria, if the people are made aware that much uh sucker is imminent, uh if they support uh external intervention to get rid of these uh diabolical players, uh I I think that is relevant.

[00:15:16]>> Dan and Jason, thank you both so much for joining us here today on News X World. Thank you. French President Emanuel Mccron said the question of peace talks with Russia is not about who will negotiate but who about but about first clarifying Europe's own position on the Ukraine war. His remarks come amid ongoing debate over Europe's role in any future diplomatic process.

[00:15:43]Macron reiterated that European nations do not see themselves as neutral mediators in the conflict, but as parties directly involved in shaping the security architecture of the continent.

[00:15:55]He said Europe's priority is to maintain a unified strategic position rather than rush into negotiations. He added that any future peace talks with Russia would require European presence at the table, but only after its common position and red lines are clearly defined. European leaders continue to stress support for Ukraine while rejecting the idea of neutral mediation, arguing that long-term security and territorial integrity remains central to any settlement.

[00:16:24]We are now being joined by my colleague and correspondent Raksha Abdani who's joining us live from the NewsX World newsroom. Ra, thank you so much for joining us here today on the bulletin.

[00:16:35]Now what more can you tell us about Macron's stance in this situation and the ongoing development with the potential talks between Russia and Ukraine?

[00:16:46]Yes, Ellie, the stance of Europe in the Russia Ukraine war has always been pro- Ukraine. The European Union as a whole is one such union which has always been vocal and directly supporting Ukraine in this war. It's just not the it's just not France. It's the entire Europe and the European Union has always come together joined hands to help Ukraine both financially and militarily both in both ways uh in to win the war against Russia. And while we also know that recently we did have G7 summit wherein Ukrainian president Zalinski was also invited as a special guest for this G7 summit as well. So this showed us how important the Russia Ukraine war is for the uh G7 group and as well the European countries as well. But right now we did see that uh the French president Emanuel Macarron has come out and given us statements which does uh make us uh a bit confused about the Europe stand on Russia Ukraine right now because Macaron has come out and given out statements saying that Europe is not a mediator in the Russia Ukraine war and he also did mention that it is not a question about what what side they are on but to understand and clarify their position I mean the Europe's position in the Russia Ukraine war as well. But he did mention that they are okay and they would be in the uh at the table where there will be peace talks happening between Russia and Ukraine uh Ukraine. So we do we need to understand that how important is is it because Europe as a whole and all of the countries especially if we understand France being one of the major countries and Emanuel Macarron being one of one such person who has been playing a crucial role in the war in the war between Russia and Ukraine and he did mention uh that how how overall in the years it's almost four and a half years of the war between Russia and Ukraine and Europe has always condemn Russia for its uh hostilities for its aggression towards against Ukraine. Uh in and also there we also know that there have been several sanctions on Russia by the European countries as well to show solidarity to show support to Ukraine.

[00:19:08]They have been financially helping Ukraine. They have given out huge loans to Ukraine as well for this um war and also they have been in directly involved. they have been actively involved in military support and they have also been training the country of Ukraine Ukraine in this war against Russia as well. So now we need to understand while there the G7 summit that happened there was Zalinski present there was Donald Trump present there was European Union commission heads were also present and as well of course France being the host country as well.

[00:19:44]So when these all of the country leaders were present and also Zalinski being there showed us how important the Russia Ukraine war is and also in fact just before the G7 summit itself the French president Emanuel Macron did come out and say that uh the war in Russia Ukraine is going to be one of the important and will be on the top of the agenda of G7. But though we did not get any much uh concrete information or concrete statement coming out on the Russia Ukraine war during the G7 summit because as we know the majority of focus was focused on the war that was happening in West Asia as well. So that is why uh the maybe the focus that was supposed to be given you on Russia Ukraine did not go as that was planned by Zilinski because his presence in the G7 summit was to uh gain support uh in the war between uh war against Russia.

[00:20:39]So now we need to understand while France uh president has come out and stated that they want to clarify their position in this war we we are once again revisiting Europe's position in the Russia Ukraine war ali and Ra please if you wouldn't mind what do you think this means now for European nations for Macron to say that European nations do not see themselves as neutral mediators in the conflict but as parties directly involved and Europe's priority ity is maintained as a unified strategic position rather than negotiators. What does this now mean? What does what do you think Macron means by this statement? Is this a matter of fact of European leaders need to reather and retalk on this situation or is it a matter of fact where they're now starting to think how much longer can they send money to Ukraine, help with missiles, etc. What do you think he really means by this? uh what I make out of all of this situation that is happening is first of all the longstanded standing peace deal negotiation between both of the countries because we have always seen bo both Zilinski and Putin coming together and also giving statement that we are open to negotiations we are open for a peace deal but none of them have come out and sat together and have come uh for a conclusion or on a common grounds on the peace deal between both of the countries that is one such point because as You also mentioned in your question, Europe always had a unified position on the war. They have always been pro- Ukraine. They have always supported Ukraine in this war itself. But what I understand now that there has been so many changes. First of all, we need to understand there are several lot of other things in the world of geopolitics right now as well and Russia Ukraine is a longstanding war because it's been almost four and a half, five years now both of the countries have been at war.

[00:22:34]So I think even Europe's position now I think they are as well revisiting how they want to go ahead and also because they have been heavily investing they have been uh continuously supporting Ukraine in this war as well. Now I think they are trying to make uh the peace deal, peace negotiation between both of the countries fast track it maybe trying to give while they are talking like this while the European leaders are giving out statements like this. I think they are trying to make it clear to the uh both of the parties that they want this war to end as soon as possible. Now that they have also said that they would be present at the table of negotiation that would be happening between Russia and Ukraine. So I think they try they are trying to say that the peace negotiations that are happening the uh talks that should be happening between both of the countries should happen as soon as possible and there should be a full stop to this war thank you so much for joining us here today on NewsX World. It's an absolute pleasure and you as always thank you.

[00:23:34]Now that is all we have time for for this hour. Keep watching NewsX World for more news updates from around the world.