A ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-aligned group Hezbollah was implemented at 0200 GMT on Wednesday, following U.S. President Joe Biden’s announcement that both parties had agreed to a deal facilitated by the United States and France.
After the ceasefire commenced, gunfire echoed throughout Beirut, though it was unclear whether it was celebratory or a means of alerting residents who may have missed evacuation notices from the Israeli military.
Vehicles filled with individuals displaced from southern Lebanon due to recent Israeli airstrikes began returning to their homes following the ceasefire. This agreement aims to halt a conflict along the Israeli-Lebanese border that has resulted in thousands of casualties since it was sparked by the Gaza war last year.
On Tuesday, Biden addressed the nation from the White House shortly after Israel’s security cabinet voted 10-1 in favor of the agreement. He mentioned discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, confirming that hostilities would cease at 4 a.m. local time (0200 GMT).
“This is intended to be a lasting end to hostilities,” Biden stated. “What remains of Hezbollah and other terrorist groups will not be permitted to jeopardize Israel’s security again.”
Biden also noted that Israel would begin a phased withdrawal of its forces over the next 60 days, allowing the Lebanese army to secure the area near the border to prevent Hezbollah from reestablishing its infrastructure there.
Civilians from both sides are expected to safely return to their communities soon, he stated.
Hezbollah has not officially responded to the ceasefire; however, senior official Hassan Fadlallah mentioned in an interview with Lebanon’s Al Jadeed TV that while the group supports the expansion of the Lebanese state’s authority, it anticipates emerging from the conflict even stronger.
“Thousands will rally to the resistance… The proposal to disarm the resistance was an Israeli initiative that ultimately failed,” Fadlallah, who also serves as a member of Lebanon’s parliament, remarked.
Iran, a supporter of Hezbollah, the Palestinian group Hamas, and the Houthi rebels attacking Israel from Yemen, expressed its approval of the ceasefire.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on the social media platform X that the agreement was “the result of months of efforts with the Israeli and Lebanese authorities, in close cooperation with the United States.”
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Mikati released a statement in favor of the agreement. Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib indicated that the Lebanese army would deploy at least 5,000 troops in southern Lebanon as Israeli forces withdrew.
Netanyahu expressed his readiness to enforce a ceasefire but warned of a strong response to any violations by Hezbollah.
He noted that the ceasefire would enable Israel to concentrate on the threat posed by Iran, provide the military with a chance to rest and resupply, and isolate Hamas, the militant group that instigated the regional conflict with its attack on Israel from Gaza last year.
In complete alignment with the United States, we maintain full military operational freedom. If Hezbollah breaches the agreement or seeks to rearm, we will respond with decisive force, Netanyahu stated.
Hezbollah, which has ties to Hamas, is significantly diminished compared to its strength at the onset of the conflict, he noted.
“We have effectively reverted its capabilities by decades, eliminated many of its senior leaders, destroyed the majority of its rockets and missiles, neutralized thousands of its fighters, and dismantled years of terror infrastructure along our border,” he remarked.
A senior U.S. official, speaking to reporters on the condition of anonymity, indicated that the U.S. and France would collaborate with the UNIFIL peacekeeping force to establish a mechanism that would work alongside Lebanon’s military to prevent potential ceasefire violations. The official clarified that U.S. combat troops would not be deployed.
Jon Finer, deputy national security adviser in the Biden administration, informed CNN that the U.S. would closely monitor any breaches of the agreement.
“The successful implementation of this agreement is crucial, and we will remain vigilant against any attempts to undermine the commitments made by both parties in this process today,” he stated.
Biden, who is set to leave office in January, expressed that his administration would persist in advocating for a challenging ceasefire and hostage-release agreement in Gaza, as well as for a normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
In the hours preceding the ceasefire, intense fighting continued as Israel intensified its airstrike campaign in Beirut and various regions of Lebanon, resulting in reports of at least 18 fatalities from health authorities.
The Israeli military announced that it targeted “elements of Hezbollah’s financial management and systems,” which included a money-exchange office. Meanwhile, Hezbollah maintained its rocket attacks into Israel.
According to the military, Israel’s air force intercepted three rockets launched from Lebanese territory during a significant missile barrage on Tuesday night, triggering warning alarms in approximately 115 settlements.
Alia Ibrahim, a mother of twin girls from the southern village of Qaaqaiyat al-Snawbar, who had evacuated to Beirut nearly three months ago, expressed her hope that Israeli officials, who have shown mixed signals regarding a ceasefire, would honor the agreement.
“Our village – they destroyed half of it. In these few seconds before they announced the ceasefire, they destroyed half our village,” she stated. “God willing, we can return to our homes and our land.”
A survey conducted by Israel’s Channel 12 TV revealed that 37% of Israelis supported the ceasefire, while 32% opposed it. Those against the agreement include opposition leaders and mayors of towns near the Israeli-Lebanese border, who advocate for a depopulated buffer zone on the Lebanese side.
Both the Lebanese government and Hezbollah have emphasized that the return of displaced civilians to southern Lebanon is a fundamental aspect of the truce.
Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a right-wing member of Netanyahu’s administration, remarked on X that the agreement did not guarantee the return of Israelis to their homes in the northern part of the country and that the Lebanese army lacked the capability to confront Hezbollah. “To leave Lebanon, we must establish our own security buffer,” Ben-Gvir stated.
