Israeli Envoy Says Ceasefire Is Holding, Calls for Hezbollah to Be Dismantled

Israel's ambassador to the US said Israel is adhering to the ceasefire, while insisting Hezbollah must be dismantled.

CBS News reported on June 19 that Yechiel Leiter wrote on X that "Israel remains firmly committed to an immediate ceasefire" and halted all offensive operations after 11:30 a.m. that day.

Leiter rejected claims by Hezbollah and Iran that Israel had violated the ceasefire, calling them false. He said calm would hold if Hezbollah abides by the agreement and ceases hostilities.

He also said Hezbollah must be removed for Lebanon to prosper and enjoy democratic freedoms. Calling the group an Iranian proxy, he said Hezbollah's end would mark the start of peace between the two countries.

Leiter also said Israel has no plans to withdraw from the buffer zone it recently established in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah, for its part, has said it would view any failure by Israeli forces to fully withdraw from Lebanese territory as a violation of the memorandum of understanding.