A survey taken hours before the truce in Lebanon suggests that half of Israelis think the near-14-month-long Israel Defense Forces’ campaign against Iranian-backed Hezbollah ended without a clear victor.
Asked by Israel’s Channel 12 News on Tuesday night who triumphed in the war, 20% of respondents said the IDF won, while 19% said Hezbollah did. Fifty percent said there was no clear winner. Some 11% said they did not know who emerged as the victor.
The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon took effect at 4 a.m. local time Wednesday, ending nearly 14 months of hostilities. The IDF will respond “forcefully” to all violations of the deal by Hezbollah, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Tuesday night.
As part of the deal, Israel promised to withdraw from Lebanon, where its military has been operating since early October, reaching as far as the Litani River on Tuesday for the first time since 2000.
As the IDF withdraws, Lebanese forces are to enter these areas and ensure that Hezbollah retreats north of the Litani, located some 18 miles north of the border. The U.S. and France are to oversee compliance by receiving regular updates from diplomats and military officials.
According to the Channel 12 survey, 30% of Israelis think the truce will collapse “after a short time.” Twenty-eight percent said they believe it would hold for several months, while 24% expressed trust that the ceasefire would last “for years.” Another 18% said that they did not know.
Asked if they support or oppose the reported terms of the agreement, 37% of Israeli respondents said they were in favor, 32% stated that they opposed and 31% said they did not have an opinion.
Among voters for Netanyahu’s coalition of right-wing and religious parties, 20% supported the deal, while 45% said they opposed it and 35% said they did not know.
Five hundred ten Israelis constituting a representative sample of the entire population aged 18 and over were questioned. The margin of error was +/- 4.4 percentage points.
Israel’s Security Cabinet approved the American ceasefire proposal by a vote of 10-1 on Tuesday night, with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir (Otzma Yehudit Party) opposing the move, although saying that he would not quit Netanyahu’s coalition over the decision.
(JNS)