Israel and Hezbollah Reach Ceasefire Agreement in Lebanon

Yesterday, Israel and the Iran‑backed Hezbollah movement reached a ceasefire, following a surge in fighting in Lebanon that put pressure on the U.S.–Iran interim agreement aimed at resolving the broader Middle East conflict. A senior Israeli official and two Hezbollah representatives told Reuters that the ceasefire was set to take effect at 4 p.m. the previous day, according to a U.S. official.

“If Hezbollah does not attack us, then for us it is not a time of war,” the Israeli official said. He added that Israeli troops would continue to operate in southern Lebanon. According to two Lebanese security sources, Israel launched about twelve airstrikes within the first hour after the ceasefire began, but no further strikes were reported after 5 p.m. An Israeli military spokesperson confirmed that no attacks had occurred since 5 p.m., while rejecting claims that Israel had carried out a dozen strikes after 4 p.m.

Around 8 p.m., Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that a drone strike had killed two people riding a motorbike on a southern highway. The Israeli military did not immediately reply to a request for comment. According to the Lebanese health ministry, Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 47 people in Lebanon since midnight. Israel also reported that four of its soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon during one of Hezbollah’s most lethal attacks of the conflict.

The Iran agreement obliges the United States, Iran, and their respective allies to declare an immediate and permanent halt to military