Israel and Hezbollah agree ceasefire, US says, as more Lebanon strikes reported
ReutersIsrael and Hezbollah have agreed a ceasefire, a US official says, following intense Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon that killed 47 people.
The latest agreement followed concerns that continued clashes, which also saw Hezbollah kill four Israeli soldiers in Lebanon, would undermine the deal to end the war between the US and Iran.
The Israeli military confirmed that a ceasefire was in effect, but later a spokesman said its forces would “continue to remove immediate threats”.
Hezbollah is yet to confirm the ceasefire but its secretary general, Sheikh Naim Qassem, said: “The project to eliminate Hezbollah has failed.”
Rescue officials in the city of Nabatieh told the BBC there had been at least 12 air strikes since the ceasefire began at 16:00 local time (13:00 GMT).
The deadly escalation is another sign that Donald Trump is not necessarily in control of the fate of his deal with Iran.
The memorandum of understanding declared a ceasefire in Lebanon as well as between the US and Iran. But that has not been the reality on the ground, which has led Tehran to accuse Trump of failing to rein in Israel.
Trump himself has given fuel to this argument in an unprecedented set of accusations against his ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, suggesting he has been senselessly killing civilians in his fight against Hezbollah.
The overnight flare-up in southern Lebanon poses more problems.
While the White House insists a ceasefire is in place, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir responded to the deaths of Israeli soldiers by saying “Lebanon must burn… For every tear shed by an Israeli mother, 1,000 Lebanese mothers must weep”.
In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused Israel of wanting “permanent war” and insisted that any breach of the commitments set out in the memorandum of understanding “will be attributed to the US”.
Trump’s deal relies on each side reining in hardliners and showing restraint – and there are few signs of that.
Netanyahu has been under domestic pressure to continue military operations against Hezbollah, while the Iran-backed group has said it would continue its attacks as long as Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon persists.
Following the latest ceasefire announcement, Israeli military spokesperson Effie Defrin said Israel would “continue to remove immediate threats, respond to Hezbollah’s violations, and do whatever is necessary to protect our civilians”.
Hezbollah’s secretary general, Sheikh Naim Qassem, on Friday declared: “The project to eliminate Hezbollah has failed, and the Israelis will withdraw from every last inch of our land.”
Clashes erupted when Hezbollah said it had ambushed an Israeli group in southern Lebanon, destroying three tanks with guided missiles, and targeting troops with rocket and artillery fire. A battalion commander was among the four troops killed.
Lebanon’s health ministry said that Israeli air strikes killed 47 people including women and children and wounded 97.
In the Nabatieh district, nine people were killed in Harouf, seven in Haboush, and six in al-Duweir, including a child, the health ministry said.
The country’s state news agency had earlier described the overnight bombardment across the Nabatieh district on Thursday as one of the most intense of the war.
News of a ceasefire has been met with scepticism by displaced Lebanese people, who are doubtful Israel will abide by a peace deal.
One man told Reuters news agency: “The agreement is good, and we all want an agreement, but the Israelis don’t abide by it.
“How many times have they made agreements? More than once, they don’t commit.”
The US State Department said direct talks between the Lebanese government and Israel would resume in Washington next week, aimed at securing a “lasting peace”.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meanwhile told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that a “comprehensive ceasefire” under which “Israeli attacks on Lebanese territory” ended was needed for the Washington talks to progress, according to the Lebanese presidency.
Lebanon was drawn into the war between Israel, the US and Iran shortly after it began, with Hezbollah launching rockets into Israel in retaliation for a strike that killed Iran’s supreme leader.
Israel responded by launching a bombing campaign across Lebanon and occupying around 5% of the country’s territory in the south, with the aim of driving back Hezbollah fighters from its northern border.
More that 3,900 people have been killed, among them women and children, and more than 11,600 others wounded since the latest conflict began, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
Around a million people remain displaced, while dozens of communities in the south have been completely destroyed.
