This is John Batchel, a conversation with colleague Jonathan Shanzer of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracy

about the announced ceasefire between EIDF and Hezbollah in the north of Israel and Lebanon.

Importantly, guarantees for enforcing the ceasefire and very much moving against those who violate the ceasefire or

appear to, importantly, is the conversation and then eventually a letter between the United

States of America and State of Israel. Jonathan explains the side letter.

Therein lies the story that's different than previous promises that Hezbollah would stand down and then.

Mr. Jonathan Shanzer, more of this later tonight.

But I think there is something else that's very different here that is important to the Israelis,

namely that they

have reportedly received a side letter, as it is now being described, from the Biden administration,

guaranteeing freedom of action in all of Lebanon whenever they see Hezbollah beginning to

reconstitute. So in other words, what the Israelis were doing before was

holding back, trying to prevent conflict, deconfliction, gray zone conflict that would not lead

to a wider war. I think the post-107 mentality of Israel right now is such that when they see, whenever they see activity that

appears threatening, they are going to use that side letter and they are going to strike.