Israel, Hezbollah Ceasefire a 'Smoke and Mirrors' Trick by U.S.: Ex-Senior British Diplomat
Unless the United States removes the prescription of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, then a ceasefire is not very meaningful, he says
The ceasefire deal announced Tuesday between Israel and Hezbollah is a sham and that can be compared to the Minsk agreements that were later revealed to be a trick by the West against Russia, Craig Murray, a former senior British diplomat said.
Murray spoke with Iran’s IRNA News Agency and called the ceasefire agreement a “smoke and mirrors trick by the USA and Israel.”
He said he believed Tel Aviv was seeking an end to the conflict because of the IDF’s shortcomings on the battlefield and lack of progress on the ground. (Israel is known for its Air Force, and not its ground forces.)
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“The ground war has been unsuccessful,” he told the outlet. “They can't get more than a few kilometers into Lebanon; they cannot keep any territory that they do take. So that’s why, I think, Israel’s pushing for a ceasefire.”
Israel and Hezbollah have been waging a slow-burn conflict since the Hamas attack on 7 October.
Hezbollah’s leadership has said it would stop the fighting when Israel stops its genocide in Gaza. Israel claims that its mission in Lebanon is to dismantle Hezbollah’s potency in the south so about 60,000 Israelis can return to their homes in the north.
He noted that Israel has pushed to include in any deal the right to resume fighting “when it wishes.” The Times of Israel said the U.S. “has also reportedly provided a side letter specifying Israel’s rights to respond to violations of the ceasefire, should there be any.”
He noted how the U.S. will play the role of guarantor amid the ceasefire, which is problematic given that Israel used U.S. jets and bombs to strike targets in Lebanon.
He said, “Unless the United States removes the prescription of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, then a ceasefire is not very meaningful, because if Hezbollah is prescribed as a terrorist organization, then any attack by Israel, at any time — whatever agreement is in place — will be viewed by the United States and allies as a counterterrorism operation and they will support it. So this has been done in bad faith.”
MINSK AGREEMENT
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel admitted that the Minsk agreements were an effective ruse to give Ukraine time to “get stronger” for its next conflict with Russia.