At 4:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning, Israel and Lebanon-based Hezbollah militants began a ceasefire. It’s seen as a major step toward ending nearly 14 months of fighting.
The U.S.-France-brokered ceasefire calls for an initial two-month halt to fighting. It requires Hezbollah to end its armed presence in southern Lebanon. Israeli troops are to return to their side of the border.
Under the deal, thousands of Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers will deploy to the region south of the Litani River. Hezbollah may not return or build any infrastructure. An international panel headed by the United States will monitor all sides. U.S. President Joe Biden says the deal “was designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities.”
The ceasefire does not address the war in Gaza. Hamas is still holding dozens of hostages. Thousands of Palestinians have died and even more are displaced. President Biden says that United States, along with other nations, is redoubling efforts to secure a second ceasefire deal. It would secure the release of the hostages and end the conflict in that area.
Any halt to the fighting in Lebanon is expected to reduce the likelihood of war between Israel and Iran. Iran backs both Hezbollah and Hamas and exchanged direct fire with Israel on two occasions earlier this year.
Israeli fire killed more than 3,500 people in Lebanon the past 13 months, many of them civilians, say Lebanese health officials. The bombardment drove 1.2 million people from their homes. Israel says it has killed more than 2,000 Hezbollah members.
Hezbollah fire forced more than 50,000 Israelis to evacuate in the country’s north. Its rockets have reached as far south in Israel as Tel Aviv. At least 75 people have been killed, more than half of them civilians.
