SPECIAL COVERAGE: Israel and Hezbollah Reach Ceasefire

Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news. 0:00:08.200 --> 0:00:13.000 Under the deal reached today, effective at four am tomorrow 0:00:13.119 --> 0:00:17.640 local time, the fighting across the Celebanies Israeli border will end, 0:00:18.280 --> 0:00:22.760 will end. This is designed to be a permanent cessation 0:00:22.840 --> 0:00:23.640 of hostilities. 0:00:25.239 --> 0:00:26.000 What is left of. 0:00:26.000 --> 0:00:29.080 Hesbalah and another terrorist organization will not be allowed. 0:00:29.240 --> 0:00:31.600 President Biden there in the Rose Garden at the White 0:00:31.600 --> 0:00:35.120 House saying that Israel and Hesbela have agreed to a 0:00:35.200 --> 0:00:40.479 cease fire deal. Giving his remarks on the Middle East conflict, 0:00:40.520 --> 0:00:43.200 he says this ceasefire deal will last for sixty days. 0:00:43.200 --> 0:00:45.879 He also went on to say that the people of 0:00:45.960 --> 0:00:48.720 Gaza also deserve a cease fire deal, and he says 0:00:48.760 --> 0:00:51.280 the only way out for Hamas is to release those 0:00:51.320 --> 0:00:56.080 hostages that have been held in captivity. So a big day, 0:00:56.120 --> 0:00:58.600 and we certainly heard earlier in the day from Prime 0:00:58.600 --> 0:01:00.800 Minister Benjamin Notat in Yahoo said he would bring the 0:01:00.800 --> 0:01:03.680 proposed ceasefire to a vote by his security cabinet. 0:01:03.920 --> 0:01:07.480 Yeah, that ceasefire, Lebanon ceasefire begins at four am local time. 0:01:07.520 --> 0:01:10.120 For more, let's go to Bloomberg News. US National Security 0:01:10.120 --> 0:01:13.640 Team Leader Nick Wadhams, who's standing by in Washington, DC. Nick, 0:01:13.880 --> 0:01:16.119 good to have you joining us on this breaking news. 0:01:16.280 --> 0:01:19.600 Help us understand where exactly this ceasefire, what part of 0:01:19.600 --> 0:01:21.560 the war the ceasefire effects, and what part of the 0:01:21.560 --> 0:01:23.560 war is still continuing to be ongoing. 0:01:24.680 --> 0:01:27.200 So there are essentially two fronts to this war. There's 0:01:27.640 --> 0:01:30.240 Israel's battle with Hamas and the Gaza Strip, and then 0:01:30.319 --> 0:01:33.440 resulting from that, after the attack by Hamas on October 0:01:33.440 --> 0:01:37.199 seventh that provoked the Israeli campaign in the Gaza Strip, 0:01:37.240 --> 0:01:41.319 you've seen increasingly intense fire between Hesbela and Israel, and 0:01:41.360 --> 0:01:43.880 in recent weeks that essentially turned into a full blown 0:01:43.920 --> 0:01:48.280 war where you had Hesbelah launching missiles from Lebanon into Israel, 0:01:48.320 --> 0:01:50.800 and you also had Israel widening the scope of a 0:01:50.840 --> 0:01:55.200 pretty devastating campaign against Hesbolah in Lebanon, taking out many 0:01:55.240 --> 0:01:58.680 of its top leaders and also striking targets in the 0:01:58.720 --> 0:02:03.280 heart of Bay Root, essentially turning that city essentially into 0:02:03.280 --> 0:02:06.560 a war zone. So that was where the Biden administration 0:02:06.640 --> 0:02:09.040 and others such as France, which was also a sort 0:02:09.040 --> 0:02:13.120 of handmade into this deal, found the prospect for an agreement, 0:02:13.440 --> 0:02:15.680 and that's really where they focus. So what you see 0:02:15.720 --> 0:02:20.320 today is the Biden administration getting that pause. Hopefully they 0:02:20.360 --> 0:02:22.400 say it'll be much longer than a pause, It'll be 0:02:22.440 --> 0:02:26.320 a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hesbalah. And then as 0:02:26.360 --> 0:02:29.320 the President mentioned there, that would then in turn allow 0:02:29.440 --> 0:02:32.200 for pressure to be put on Israel and Hamas to 0:02:32.320 --> 0:02:35.960 get the much authority or agreement, which would be an 0:02:36.040 --> 0:02:39.160 end to the violence in the Gaza strip. That's still 0:02:39.240 --> 0:02:42.480 quite a long ways off, no indication that that would 0:02:42.480 --> 0:02:45.440 be able to be completed by the end of Biden's 0:02:45.520 --> 0:02:47.480 term and when President Elect Trump takes over. 0:02:47.680 --> 0:02:51.880 Nick safe to say that the Israel war in Lebanon 0:02:52.120 --> 0:02:54.959 and that was not very popular with the people of Israel. 0:02:55.000 --> 0:02:57.600 But I do wonder about bringing some kind of end 0:02:57.639 --> 0:03:03.040 to what's happening in Gaza. Is that as likely? Should 0:03:03.080 --> 0:03:05.720 we assume that an end to that is just around 0:03:05.720 --> 0:03:09.359 the corner or these are two different fronts and two 0:03:09.400 --> 0:03:11.000 different stories here. 0:03:11.600 --> 0:03:14.239 Yeah, I mean, that's We've had a lot of false 0:03:14.280 --> 0:03:17.560 hopes over the months since October seventh, twenty twenty three, 0:03:17.680 --> 0:03:20.680 when Hamas launched that attack on Israel, that we would 0:03:20.680 --> 0:03:23.720 see something. There had been a very brief cease fire 0:03:23.720 --> 0:03:26.200 at one point, but you know, The intractable problem there 0:03:26.360 --> 0:03:29.160 is that Israel says it will not stop the fight 0:03:29.240 --> 0:03:33.519 in Gaza until Hamas no longer exists as a fighting force. 0:03:33.840 --> 0:03:37.360 Hamas meanwhile says, even though it's in a vastly degraded state, 0:03:37.440 --> 0:03:40.840 it says it will not end the fighting until Israel 0:03:40.880 --> 0:03:43.040 with draw us from the Gaza strip. I mean, those 0:03:43.040 --> 0:03:47.440 are two fundamentally oppositional goals, and so far the two 0:03:47.480 --> 0:03:49.880 sides have found no way to be able to reconcile them. 0:03:49.880 --> 0:03:53.080 You also, obviously have the fate of the Israeli hostages. 0:03:53.120 --> 0:03:56.160 There's a dwindling number of those hostages, but there are 0:03:56.240 --> 0:03:59.560 many still be believed to be alive in Gaza. Israel 0:03:59.600 --> 0:04:02.000 wants the back Hamas does not want to give them 0:04:02.080 --> 0:04:05.760 up because then it has no leverage essentially against Israel. 0:04:05.840 --> 0:04:10.200 So a much thorny or much more intractable, intractable conflict, 0:04:10.920 --> 0:04:14.200 And it looks like, you know, with the Biden administration 0:04:14.280 --> 0:04:16.680 having less than two months in office, that's going to 0:04:16.720 --> 0:04:19.479 be a very very big hill to climb for them 0:04:19.480 --> 0:04:20.560 to be able to wrap that up. 0:04:20.760 --> 0:04:24.120 So that's exactly where I wanted to end, Nick, is 0:04:24.320 --> 0:04:28.279 the idea of the incoming administration versus the Biden administration. 0:04:28.440 --> 0:04:31.640 So what the Trump administration has said about the war, 0:04:32.160 --> 0:04:36.960 the war's happening right now versus what the Biden administration 0:04:37.040 --> 0:04:39.840 has sat and tried to do and even today's development, 0:04:40.040 --> 0:04:43.239 How does that change when President elect Trump takes office 0:04:43.240 --> 0:04:44.120 on January twentieth. 0:04:44.800 --> 0:04:47.880 Well, that's the question that is really front and center 0:04:47.920 --> 0:04:51.000 for everyone, because President Elect Trump has essentially given some 0:04:51.040 --> 0:04:53.880 pretty conflicting remarks on that, saying, on the one hand, 0:04:53.920 --> 0:04:56.839 he believes that Israel should be allowed to finish the 0:04:57.000 --> 0:05:00.440 job so that too many people suggests step up paign 0:05:00.640 --> 0:05:03.960 in the Gaza strip against Hamas. He's also said though, 0:05:03.960 --> 0:05:06.559 that he wants it to be wrapped up as quickly 0:05:06.600 --> 0:05:10.480 as possible. So you could see a situation where Trump 0:05:10.560 --> 0:05:13.920 essentially puts more pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyah, who 0:05:14.080 --> 0:05:16.680 gives him a free reign to do more of what 0:05:16.760 --> 0:05:20.400 he wants, but less time to do it. He would 0:05:20.480 --> 0:05:24.240 have some more leverage over Netanyahu because of the relationship 0:05:24.240 --> 0:05:26.640 between the two of them, Trump and net and Yao, 0:05:26.640 --> 0:05:30.440 who have a much cozier relationship than Biden and net Yahoo, 0:05:30.440 --> 0:05:34.039 which was much more stand offish. So really difficult to 0:05:34.080 --> 0:05:36.440 know how that plays out, because of course Hamas has 0:05:36.480 --> 0:05:39.640 a say here. They can keep up the fight themselves, 0:05:39.720 --> 0:05:43.240 but certainly President elect Trump has promised to bring this 0:05:43.279 --> 0:05:45.720 to a swift end. The challenge, though, of course, as 0:05:45.760 --> 0:05:47.960 I say, is his way of doing that is to 0:05:48.000 --> 0:05:51.120 give Israel more of a free hand. So we'll have 0:05:51.120 --> 0:05:52.160 to see how that plays out. 0:05:52.240 --> 0:05:54.679 Hey, Nick, one last question, and let's just remind everybody 0:05:54.800 --> 0:05:58.200 the top headline off this story. President Bind just speaking 0:05:58.680 --> 0:06:00.760 from the Rose Garden at the White House saying Israel 0:06:00.800 --> 0:06:04.599 reached a ceasefire deal with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah 0:06:04.680 --> 0:06:08.560 after weeks of talks mediated excuse me, by the United States, 0:06:08.800 --> 0:06:11.080 and hailing this agreement as a major step to ending 0:06:11.080 --> 0:06:13.760 a conflict that we know has killed thousands of people. 0:06:13.839 --> 0:06:15.840 But it's not over yet. As we've been talking about 0:06:15.839 --> 0:06:18.920 what's going on in the Gaza strip, I am curious Nick, 0:06:19.000 --> 0:06:23.200 the timing of this. I'm assuming president like Donald Trump, 0:06:23.240 --> 0:06:26.440 is getting security briefs. Are we assuming that there's some 0:06:26.520 --> 0:06:29.920 conversations going on beyond between the president elect and the 0:06:29.920 --> 0:06:32.200 current president. Maybe there was when they met at the 0:06:32.200 --> 0:06:35.080 White House after Donald Trump was reelected. So I'm just 0:06:35.240 --> 0:06:38.400 curious what you are hearing behind the scenes when it 0:06:38.440 --> 0:06:40.800 comes to what's going on bigger picture. 0:06:41.600 --> 0:06:45.600 Sure, I mean we know that the Trump, the incoming 0:06:45.640 --> 0:06:50.040 Trump administration, the Trump transition team has been getting briefings. However, 0:06:50.640 --> 0:06:52.720 we do have one government at a time, and it 0:06:52.760 --> 0:06:58.160 is actually illegal for non government Americans to conduct foreign 0:06:58.240 --> 0:07:02.800 policy ostensibly on the government's behalf or as a sort 0:07:02.839 --> 0:07:06.000 of government in waiting. That's not really something Trump can do. However, 0:07:06.080 --> 0:07:08.560 what we do know is what we don't know the 0:07:08.600 --> 0:07:11.840 extent of any conversations between Biden and Trump. I'd suspect 0:07:11.880 --> 0:07:14.240 they'd be quite limited. We do know there have been 0:07:14.280 --> 0:07:18.240 several conversations between Trump and Prime Minister Net and Yahoo, 0:07:18.840 --> 0:07:21.160 and that's obviously the thing we're all trying to crack 0:07:21.240 --> 0:07:23.760 what exactly they're saying to each other. What we've heard 0:07:23.760 --> 0:07:27.520 from the Trump administration is it is not very detailed 0:07:28.200 --> 0:07:32.560 conversations that they're not really talking deep strategy or anything 0:07:32.640 --> 0:07:36.240 like that. But you could imagine a scenario where Trump 0:07:36.320 --> 0:07:38.480 is going to put pressure on net and Yahoo in 0:07:38.480 --> 0:07:42.160 one way or another, either to wrap things up or 0:07:42.200 --> 0:07:45.080 who knows. So that's really something that we're trying to crack. 0:07:45.120 --> 0:07:47.280 We do know those conversations are going on all. 0:07:47.240 --> 0:07:49.680 Right, so appreciate it. Bloomberg News US National Security Team 0:07:49.760 --> 0:07:53.480 leader Nick Wadams right there standing by with us. Khaleite 0:07:53.480 --> 0:07:57.520 Alstein is Bloomberg News Economy and Government reporter. She's joining 0:07:57.600 --> 0:08:01.040 us on the phone from Tel Aviv Galt. Initial thoughts 0:08:01.120 --> 0:08:04.360 on this news and what it means for the war 0:08:04.720 --> 0:08:09.800 in between Israel and yes, obviously with Hesbela, but also 0:08:10.040 --> 0:08:12.200 with Hamas. 0:08:11.680 --> 0:08:16.600 Yes, yes, goodnight from television, so obviously on Israel's more 0:08:16.680 --> 0:08:19.280 with Isabella. This is some sea fire that you just 0:08:19.800 --> 0:08:23.200 mentioned is about to go into effect four and a 0:08:23.200 --> 0:08:27.120 half hours according to the reports that we're hearing here, 0:08:27.600 --> 0:08:31.120 and this will bring to an end a war that 0:08:31.240 --> 0:08:34.320 and ongoing fire exchanges that have been going on between 0:08:34.360 --> 0:08:38.640 Israel and Iran backs Isabella since October eighth and twenty 0:08:38.679 --> 0:08:43.200 twenty three. So that will definitely be a big change 0:08:43.640 --> 0:08:46.360 for in this situation that it has been ongoing for 0:08:46.440 --> 0:08:53.200 over over a year. One of Israel's achievements, officials here say, 0:08:53.559 --> 0:08:58.120 is that by achieving this sea fire agreement, Israel has 0:08:58.280 --> 0:09:02.040 managed to disconnect the war with his ballad in Lebanon 0:09:02.400 --> 0:09:05.360 from the war that is going on with Hamas in Gaza. 0:09:05.559 --> 0:09:08.079 You know, this is something that Israel was unable to 0:09:08.160 --> 0:09:11.319 do for a very long time because his Bala leader, 0:09:11.400 --> 0:09:16.080 Hassan Asada, which is well assassinated in late September, he 0:09:16.160 --> 0:09:19.320 made a very strong point of saying that the two 0:09:19.440 --> 0:09:23.560 Arenas and the two armed fronts are connected. And ever 0:09:23.679 --> 0:09:28.640 since he was taken down by Israel and leadership in 0:09:28.960 --> 0:09:32.640 his Balla changed. Israel has wanted to disconnect between the 0:09:32.640 --> 0:09:36.160 two arenas and it is now from from the Israeli perspective, 0:09:36.160 --> 0:09:38.920 it has managed to do that. And now Israel is 0:09:38.960 --> 0:09:43.040 hoping that when Hamas is left on its own secluded, 0:09:43.800 --> 0:09:46.800 you know which Isabella already part of a seafire deal, 0:09:47.280 --> 0:09:52.040 it will put more pressure on Hamas to perhaps reach 0:09:52.160 --> 0:09:54.640 a ceasefire agreement with Israel in Gaza. 0:09:54.679 --> 0:09:58.320 Also relee where does Iran fall in all of this 0:09:58.440 --> 0:10:02.679 and how does their role change as a result of 0:10:02.720 --> 0:10:03.520 this cease fire. 0:10:04.280 --> 0:10:08.800 So reports we're hearing for starters are that Iran did 0:10:09.960 --> 0:10:13.720 support and back there's some sea fire agreement between Chrisbella 0:10:13.800 --> 0:10:17.400 and Israel. Otherwise it probably would not have been able 0:10:17.480 --> 0:10:20.360 to move forward as as it has and as it 0:10:20.400 --> 0:10:24.520 should tomorrow morning. So so that's one one thing to 0:10:24.559 --> 0:10:29.280 know about Iran. Now, Iran and Israel have been exchanging 0:10:30.320 --> 0:10:33.920 fire for for several months now. Every every few months, 0:10:34.360 --> 0:10:37.240 Iran has been attacking as well, ballistically solves as well 0:10:37.320 --> 0:10:42.640 has retaliated recently in an attack of its own. Iran 0:10:43.000 --> 0:10:47.440 has has now seemed to kind of take a step 0:10:47.480 --> 0:10:50.800 back and its intentions to once again retaliate against as 0:10:50.800 --> 0:10:54.920 well and see what the Trump administration is going to 0:10:55.000 --> 0:10:59.760 look like for them, for Iran and perhaps some negotiating 0:10:59.840 --> 0:11:02.320 new nuclear deal with you know, with the US and 0:11:02.360 --> 0:11:07.240 other nations. So Iran it's kind of looks like now 0:11:07.760 --> 0:11:10.800 like it's sitting on the fence. It is noteworthy that 0:11:11.040 --> 0:11:14.240 Benjamin Attemao, when he was giving a televis statement this 0:11:14.320 --> 0:11:17.880 evening just ahead of the of the Cabinet of the 0:11:17.920 --> 0:11:21.800 Israeli cabinets approval of the ceasefire agreement, he did mention 0:11:22.080 --> 0:11:25.160 that one of the reasons for Israel to want to 0:11:25.240 --> 0:11:28.240 achieve a ceasefire, which isabelle at this time, is that 0:11:28.320 --> 0:11:30.880 it can focus on the Iranian threat. And he said 0:11:30.880 --> 0:11:34.520 he would not elaborate on what this means, but he 0:11:35.000 --> 0:11:38.439 was obviously, you know, saying two three run right, and 0:11:38.559 --> 0:11:41.559 we're still looking at you and we're still looking to 0:11:41.880 --> 0:11:44.240 stop you from becoming a nuclear nation. 0:11:44.480 --> 0:11:46.800 Kolly just got about thirty seconds here. So is this 0:11:47.480 --> 0:11:50.120 you know you're on the ground there, you understand the pressure. 0:11:50.280 --> 0:11:53.120 We talked earlier with our Nick Wadams, who covers national 0:11:53.160 --> 0:11:56.480 security certainly here in the United States. But saying that, 0:11:56.640 --> 0:11:59.440 you know, ending what was going on Lebanon maybe is 0:11:59.440 --> 0:12:02.439 not on the same doesn't necessarily mean we're going to 0:12:02.480 --> 0:12:06.520 see an end to what's going on with Hamas and 0:12:07.320 --> 0:12:11.160 uh Palestinians right now. So I just I'm wondering, tell 0:12:11.240 --> 0:12:12.720 us what you can say, is this, Is this a 0:12:12.760 --> 0:12:15.440 big step forward to we assume that we can see 0:12:15.440 --> 0:12:19.040 an end to the conflict very soon everywhere or not 0:12:19.120 --> 0:12:20.280 necessarily just quickly. 0:12:20.559 --> 0:12:26.480 So to summon up very quickly with Hamas. Maybe, like 0:12:26.559 --> 0:12:29.680 I said, if Commas feels more secluded now and feels that, 0:12:29.800 --> 0:12:32.760 you know, more pressure, maybe this can advance and see 0:12:32.840 --> 0:12:36.360 for ideal between Israel and Comas. Iran is a different story. 0:12:36.679 --> 0:12:40.160 Not that Trisabella is weakened after the war with Israel. 0:12:41.000 --> 0:12:46.280 They are more exposed to perhaps an attacked against its 0:12:47.000 --> 0:12:50.120 energy and mulcular facilities. I'm not saying that this is 0:12:50.400 --> 0:12:52.559 on the table here and now, but this is definitely 0:12:52.600 --> 0:12:56.840 something that NATANIAO has been hinting at. And it still 0:12:56.840 --> 0:13:00.600 remains to be seeing whether the direct exchanges between Iran 0:13:00.720 --> 0:13:03.800 and Israel that we've seen over the past month over 0:13:04.320 --> 0:13:07.560 at this point and Lias until the chump and aguration, 0:13:08.280 --> 0:13:11.920 or we'll see more of those exchanges on coming. 0:13:12.160 --> 0:13:15.280 We do know it's late, and we appreciate you giving 0:13:15.280 --> 0:13:17.360 an update on the situation, certainly since you're there on 0:13:17.400 --> 0:13:20.680 the ground. Khalide, thank you so much. Khalide Alstain Bloomberg 0:13:20.720 --> 0:13:23.360 News Economy and Government report on the phone with us 0:13:23.360 --> 0:13:24.080 from Tel Aviv