Israel and Hezbollah ceasefire on war in Lebanon with effect from Wednesday, bringing celebrations to Beirut’s southern suburbs after over a year of intense fighting that has claimed thousands of lives. The truce, which took effect at 4:00 a.m. (0200 GMT), is expected to end a war that has displaced tens of thousands of people in Israel and hundreds of thousands more in Lebanon.
Shortly after the ceasefire , the Israeli army issued a warning for residents of southern Lebanon, advising them to stay away from Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) positions and villages that had been evacuated. Army spokesperson Avichay Adraee confirmed in a post on X that the IDF would remain stationed in southern Lebanon, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement.
The war, which began in October 2023, has seen heavy airstrikes across Lebanon and Israeli troops stationed along the border fighting Hezbollah militants. It was triggered by Hezbollah’s cross-border strikes in support of Hamas following the Palestinian group’s October 7 attack on Israel.
US President Joe Biden announced the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire agreement on Tuesday, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that his government had agreed to the truce. The United States, Israel’s key ally and military supporter, hailed the ceasefire as a positive development, with Biden calling it “good news” and a “new start” for Lebanon.
Netanyahu expressed his thanks to Biden for facilitating the agreement and emphasised that the truce would allow Israel to refocus on its efforts against Hamas in Gaza and address threats from Iran. He also stated that Israel would retain full freedom to act against Hezbollah if the group poses any future threats.
Since the war began, Lebanon has reported at least 3,823 deaths, the majority of which occurred in the last several weeks as Israel intensified its military campaign against Hezbollah. On the Israeli side, at least 82 soldiers and 47 civilians have been killed in the conflict.
In the hours leading up to the ceasefire, the violence reached its peak, with Israeli airstrikes hitting central Beirut on Tuesday. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for attacks on northern Israel shortly after the truce announcement. Early Wednesday, airstrikes also hit Beirut’s southern suburbs, just under an hour before the ceasefire officially began.
The Israeli military had earlier ordered the evacuation of parts of central Beirut and its southern suburbs. While Hezbollah did not participate directly in the ceasefire talks, Lebanese parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri acted as a mediator on the group’s behalf. Hezbollah has yet to formally comment on the truce.
