Israel agrees to 10-day ceasefire with Lebanon, but says its troops will stay on the ground

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The first of the six points in the text provided by the state department says the 10-day ceasefire is "a gesture of goodwill by the Government of Israel" to enable talks toward a permanent peace agreement with Lebanon. 

The ceasefire can be extended by mutual agreement if there's progress in those talks and if Lebanon "effectively demonstrates its ability to assert its sovereignty," an apparent reference to whether the Lebanese government can keep Hezbollah in check. 

"Both countries recognize the significant challenges faced by the Lebanese state from non-state armed groups, which unde

The U.S. State Department has provided some of the fine print of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon. 

The text says Israel "will not carry out any offensive military operations against Lebanese targets, including civilian, military, and other state targets, in the territory of Lebanon by land, air, and sea." 

It also says Israel can "take all necessary measures in self-defense, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks." 

As for Lebanon's side of the deal, the text says its government "will take meaningful steps to prevent Hezbollah and all other rogue non-state armed groups in the territory of Lebanon from carrying out any attacks, operations, or hostile activities against Israeli targets." 

Trump says the leaders of Israel and Lebanon will meet face to face for the first time in 44 years.

"It's very exciting. I think we're going to have a deal," he told reporters.  

"They're probably going to do it at the White House," Trump said, "over the next week or two."  

Asked whether Hezbollah would be part of such a deal, Trump said Lebanon would be "working on Hezbollah," but added, "We'll have an agreement between Israel, very importantly, and Lebanon." 

Trump is speaking to reporters outside the White House, where he is about to depart for an event in Las Vegas. 

He said he had "a great talk" with both Netanyahu and Aoun today. "They're going to be having a ceasefire, and that will include Hezbollah," Trump said.

As in his initial social media post, the president did not provide details on specific terms or details of the truce other than repeating its 10-day duration.

In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he agreed to the 10-day truce because he sees an opportunity to make progress on a longer-term peace agreement with Lebanon. He said Israel's key demand is still to see Hezbollah dismantled.

He also said Israeli military personnel will stay in Lebanon in a "security zone" between the country's coast and its shared border with Syria.

In its first comment after Trump's announcement, Hezbollah said any ceasefire must not allow Israel freedom of movement within Lebanon. In a statement issued by its media office, the group said the presence of Israeli troops on Lebanese territory granted Lebanon and its people the "right to resist."

Tehran and Hezbollah's alliance dates back to the militia's inception more than 40 years ago. 

Iran and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) provided funds and training to help Hezbollah establish itself in the wake of the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, seeing it as an opportunity to expand Tehran's influence in Arab states, according to a backgrounder prepared by the Council on Foreign Relations. 

To date, Iran remains Hezbollah's largest benefactor. 

A 2022 report from the U.S. State Department said Iran provides Hezbollah with "most of its funding, training, weapons, and explosives, as well as political, diplomatic, monetary, and organizational aid."

Ideologically aligned with Iran's government, Hezbollah "has been seen as the strongest of the armed groups Tehran supports to bolster Iranian strategic objectives," says the U.S. Library of Congress. 

It is unclear if Hezbollah will abide by the agreement after it outright rejected talks between Israel and Lebanon earlier this week.

Senior Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said Iran's ambassador in Beirut informed the Lebanon-based Shia militant group that a temporary ceasefire could begin Thursday evening, after Trump announced the deal.

Asked whether the group would commit to the agreement, Fadlallah, who urged the Lebanese government to reconsider its decision to negotiate with Israel on Wednesday, told Reuters that Hezbollah's decision will hinge on Israel's commitment to "halt all forms of hostilities."

This map, which shows attacks in the region since Feb. 28, highlights how the war has focused on southern Lebanon and Beirut. 

As of Monday, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have been targeting Hezbollah weapons depots, rocket launchers and headquarters in southeastern Lebanon. Hezbollah has been targeting IDF infrastructure and communities in northern Israel.

Neither Lebanon nor Israel has commented on the deal Trump announced. In an earlier statement, however, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said he hoped the negotiations would "mark the beginning of the end of the suffering of the Lebanese people." 

Lebanon's government banned Hezbollah's military wing after it opened fire on Israel last month.

Since March 2, Israel's attacks have killed more than 2,100 people — including health workers and journalists — and injured more than 6,500 others, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry.

Missiles launched from Hezbollah have killed two ⁠Israeli civilians; 13 Israeli soldiers have also been killed in southern Lebanon, according to Israeli authorities.

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