US, France broker Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire

BEIRUT – A ceasefire between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah held on Wednesday after both sides accepted an agreement brokered by the US and France, a rare victory for diplomacy in the Middle East wracked by two wars for over a year.

Lebanon’s army, tasked with ensuring the ceasefire lasts, said it was preparing to deploy to the south of the country, a region Israel heavily bombarded in its battle against the Iran-backed militant group, along with eastern cities and towns and Hezbollah strongholds in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

The military asked that residents of border villages delay returning home until the Israeli military, which has waged war against Hezbollah on several occasions and pushed around 6 km (4 miles) into Lebanon, withdraws.

Israel said it identified Hezbollah operatives returning to areas near the border and had opened fire to prevent them from coming closer. There were no signs that the incident would undermine the ceasefire.

The agreement, which promises to end a conflict across the Israeli–Lebanese border that has killed thousands of people since it was ignited by the Gaza war last year, is a major achievement for the US in the waning days of President Joe Biden’s administration.

The deal is likely to enable Israel to focus more closely on the conflict in shattered Gaza, where it has vowed to destroy its long-time enemy the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which led the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israeli communities.

(Foreign Media)

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