Ceasefire Agreement Announced
The leaders of Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire starting from 17:00 EST (21:00 GMT; midnight local time), according to US President Donald Trump.
For the past six weeks, Israel and Hezbollah, an Iran-backed armed group, have been engaged in conflict in southern Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed Israel's participation in the truce but stated that Israeli troops would maintain a 10km-deep (6.2 mile) "security zone" in southern Lebanon, adding:
"We are there, and we are not leaving."
Hezbollah appeared willing to participate in the truce but emphasized that it must include "a comprehensive halt to attacks across all Lebanese territory" and "no freedom of movement for Israeli forces."
The latest conflict began on 2 March, two days after the US and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran, with Hezbollah firing rockets into northern Israel.
The armed group, which also functions as a political movement in Lebanon, stated it was retaliating for the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
More than 2,000 people in Lebanon have been killed in the war to date, with over a million people—approximately a fifth of the population—displaced. An estimated 37,000 homes have been destroyed or damaged. Israel reports that Hezbollah attacks have killed two civilians in Israel and that 13 Israeli soldiers have died in combat in Lebanon.
Israel and Lebanon held rare direct talks in Washington this week aimed at easing the conflict, which has included deadly air strikes on parts of the Lebanese capital, Beirut. It is important to note that Israel is not in conflict with Lebanon's official armed forces.
Announcing the planned ceasefire, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he would also invite Netanyahu and Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun to the White House for "the first meaningful talks between Israel and Lebanon since 1983," during the Lebanese Civil War.
"I think we will have an agreement between Lebanon and they're going to take care of Hezbollah, but they're going to be working on Hezbollah right now,"he told reporters outside the White House later on Thursday.
"But we'll have an agreement between Israel, very importantly, and Lebanon."
Trump said he expected Netanyahu and Aoun to arrive in the US for talks "over the next week or two."
US State Department Comments and Ceasefire Challenges
The US State Department added that while the ceasefire may pause the fighting, the central question of the future of Hezbollah's weaponry remains unresolved.
Lebanese authorities have long maintained that disarming Hezbollah cannot be imposed by force and would require negotiation with the group.
A previous ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah, which ended 13 months of conflict, still saw near-daily cross-border strikes.
Israel re-entered southern Lebanon after Hezbollah strikes in early March, establishing a buffer zone it stated was necessary to protect communities in northern Israel.
Netanyahu described the planned ceasefire with Lebanon as an "opportunity to make a historic peace agreement" but emphasized the need for Israeli forces to remain in southern Lebanon to "block the danger of invasion."
Disarming Hezbollah was one of the fundamental demands Israel will have in further talks with the Lebanese government,he said in a televised address on Thursday evening.
The US State Department stated that the Lebanese government had committed to taking "meaningful steps to prevent Hezbollah and all other rogue non-state armed groups from carrying out any attacks, operations or hostile activities against Israeli targets."
Netanyahu said Hezbollah had insisted on Israeli troops withdrawing completely from Lebanese territory and a "quiet for quiet" format to joining the truce.
"I agreed to neither the former nor the latter. And indeed, these two conditions are not being met,"he said.
Casualties and Military Actions
At least 2,196 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Lebanon since the fighting began, including 260 women and 172 children, according to the Lebanese health ministry. These figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
Israeli authorities report that Hezbollah attacks have killed two civilians in Israel and that 13 Israeli soldiers have been killed in combat in Lebanon.
On Thursday, the Israeli military destroyed the last bridge linking southern Lebanon to the rest of the country, further isolating the region and renewing fears among many Lebanese that this could lead to a long-term occupation of some areas. Israeli officials have previously stated their intention to maintain security control over the territory even after the current conflict ends.
Recent research from BBC Verify has shown that towns and villages across southern Lebanon are being leveled by Israeli demolitions.
Additional reporting by David Gritten
