Israel and Hezbollah agree to ceasefire of fighting in southern Lebanon, officials say
Erin Cunningham, Jon Gambrell And Aamer Madhani
Jerusalem: Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group agreed on Friday to halt violent clashes in southern Lebanon that threaten to unravel an interim peace deal between the United States and Iran, officials said. Neither Israel nor Hezbollah immediately ratified the ceasefire.
This comes after 47 people and four Israeli soldiers were killed in a violent clash in Lebanon.
Hezbollah and Israel went to war shortly after the broader conflict broke out; Hezbollah fired rockets and drones at civilian communities in northern Israel, and Israel captured large areas of southern Lebanon.
The agreement to end the Iran war requires halting military operations in Lebanon and respecting Lebanon’s sovereignty. Neither Israel nor Hezbollah is party to the agreement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to keep Israeli forces in southern Lebanon until the threat is eliminated. Hezbollah has refused to stop its attacks unless Israel commits to withdrawing from Lebanon. Iran says this is a condition of the broader deal.
The agreement aims to end the war between the United States and Iran, open the Strait of Hormuz to relieve the world economy, and restart negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program, with 60 days for a final agreement. But it already faces threats from Lebanon, where fighting there is causing a delay in the start of talks scheduled for Friday in Switzerland.
Hours after officials briefed news organizations about the ceasefire, Israeli artillery fire could still be heard from northern Israel along the Lebanese border, and a large explosion appeared to have occurred in Lebanon, according to an AP journalist in northern Israel.
News of the attempt to stop the conflict came from two regional officials and one US official. Regional officials said that this agreement was mediated by Qatar, the United States and Iran.
A Hezbollah official said an agreement to stop the fighting could be announced soon but stopped short of confirming it was in effect.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office did not immediately comment. But Netanyahu shared on X on Friday that the military, on his orders, “strongly struck” 150 Hezbollah targets, killing dozens of militants.
Military spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin said the army had not received any different instructions from the government. He said Israeli forces were operating in the “forward defense zone” and would continue to do so.
Hezbollah and Israel reduced their attacks after Iran and the US agreed to stop the war “on all fronts”, including Lebanon.
According to two regional officials, Iranian officials did not travel to Switzerland as planned and insisted that fighting in Lebanon had to stop before talks could be held; An Iranian official and a fourth person familiar with the matter spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive behind-the-scenes conversations. US Vice President JD Vance also postponed his trip.
The interim agreement halted hostilities in Iran and the Gulf and reopened the Strait of Hormuz.
But future talks are expected to bring a permanent end to the conflict, including addressing how to restrict Iran’s nuclear program, the key issue on which Israel and the United States went to war on February 28.
On Friday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said consultations were continuing through mediators on the next phase of negotiations to draft a final agreement.
He said that the talks in Switzerland were not urgent as the first agreement was signed digitally earlier this week and that plans were continuing to hold a meeting in the coming days.
The Israeli army said four soldiers were killed in an attack on a tank in a village near the city of Nabatiyeh in southern Lebanon. Five more people were reportedly injured in an explosive drone attack.
Israel then launched multiple attacks on “Hezbollah infrastructure facilities” in Nabatiyeh and other areas, according to a military statement that accused the militant group of “blatant ceasefire violations.”
Later, the army announced that it also hit targets in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon.
Netanyahu said, “Israel will not tolerate attacks on our soldiers or our lands, and Hezbollah will pay a very heavy price for these attacks.”
Hezbollah acknowledged targeting Israeli tanks and said its attacks were a response to what it called Israel’s violation of the ceasefire. It was stated that the attacks took place after Israeli forces tried to reach the northern side of Ali al-Tahir hill, a strategic point overlooking Nabatiyeh that Israeli troops tried to capture.
Many people in southern Lebanon were forced to leave their villages.
Mustafa Zain, who was in a truck with his six daughters, said, “The situation is illegal, we couldn’t stay.”
Beyond the conflict, Israel’s occupation of large swathes of southern Lebanon is also a sticking point. Iran insists Israel must withdraw, but Netanyahu has said forces will remain in a “security zone” in southern Lebanon “as long as Israel’s security needs require it.”
Israel’s actions created a rift between Israel and the United States; Trump has become increasingly critical of his close ally Netanyahu, who is also facing increasing criticism at home.
The talks in Switzerland were expected to focus on Iran’s nuclear program. Tehran maintains it is peaceful despite having highly enriched uranium that could be used to make multiple atomic bombs, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
These talks are expected to be difficult. The 2015 nuclear deal, which Trump canceled during his first term, took more than 18 months to negotiate.
The interim agreement gives negotiators 60 days to reach a nuclear deal, but that period could be extended. The report outlines lucrative incentives if Iran reaches a new deal, including the eventual lifting of all international sanctions and a US$300 billion ($425 billion) fund for post-war reconstruction.
Iran has already won some concessions. The US has lifted the blockade of Iranian ports and the deal calls for unfreezing Iran’s assets to be lifted – but it is unclear how quickly this will happen.
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