Randy Manner: Former US Army Major General on Hezbollah rejecting the terms of a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon
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What recent developments have occurred in the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire negotiations?
We have a development in the Middle East. Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a conditional ceasefire following US-led talks. The deal is contingent on Hezbollah halting all its attacks. Randy Manor is a former US Army Major General and Vice Chief of the US National Guard and is with us. Morning, Randy. Good morning. Is this ceasefire going to hold given the strikes that are still happening?
I think that the past few weeks have shown that ceasefires are typically not holding, unfortunately. And Hezbollah absolutely gets a vote as well as Iran.
And so Hezbollah says it rejects the ceasefire. So is it even worth the paper it's written on?
That's exactly correct. Unfortunately, any two-way agreement when it doesn't include the powerful third party is basically not worth the paper it's written on. Correct. Okay.
Why does Hezbollah reject the current ceasefire terms?
So what happens from here then? I think this is something where we would be hopeful that there would be continued de-escalation. The problem is, is the Israelis still are using as they always have. They are defending themselves and also quite frankly, attacking other neighbors to be able to secure their frontiers. And that of course means the United States is powerless in trying to provide any incentive to Israel, unfortunately.
Okay, do you see anything happening between the US and Iran while this is still going on between Israel and Lebanon?
I think it's very possible. The attack by the Iranians recently on the Kuwaiti airport, I've been in that airport, the attacks in Bahrain, I've been there at the US naval base. These are all very serious offences and the United States has responded in kind This is an extremely fragile situation, which of course does nothing to be able to lower gas and oil prices around the world.
Hey, what do you make of Hegseth accusing New Zealand of freeloading, re-defence spend?
I tell you what, it is an embarrassment as a person who has devoted 36 years of my life in service to the United States and to the peace in the world, to have the Secretary of Defence go out to the Pacific and basically pause the $14 billion sale of weapons to Taiwan, to be able to pause the delivery of Tomahawk missiles to Japan, and essentially has told New Zealand, Australia, and other nations to, hey, you're on your own.
How do past ceasefires influence the current situation?
What this administration has done to NATO, as well as, of course, to the Middle East, he's now starting to do it in Pacific because China is basically doing a better job of sucking up to the president, and that's the best way to say it.
So are you saying that the U.S. administration is pulling out of the Pacific?
I am saying that they are basically, everything that they're saying, they soften the tone. In the National Security Strategy, which is, you can Google it and find the unclassified version, it basically says China is the most important threat to the United States, but yet you would not, by our actions, you would not see this to be true. They refuse to sell weapons and so on to our allies and to back up areas. I mean, it's rather shocking what is happening about dismantling the allies that we have around the world in the way this administration has.
All right, Randy, it's good to talk to you. Thanks for your insight.
That's Randy Manor, former US Army Major General, Vice Chief of the US National Guard.
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