Ceasefire Takes Effect After Flurry of Strikes

A 10-day ceasefire announced Thursday by President Trump has begun along the Israel-Lebanon border, though fighting continued in the hours just before it took effect. Both sides reported exchanges of attacks leading up to the start of the truce.

According to the Israeli military, its forces struck about 380 Hezbollah targets across Lebanon during the final 24 hours before the ceasefire began, the New York Times reported. Israeli officials also said that after President Trump announced the agreement, roughly 40 volleys were fired from Lebanon toward Israel, according to the Washington Post.

As midnight arrived and the ceasefire started, celebratory gunfire was heard in parts of Lebanon. Despite warnings from authorities to remain away until the situation becomes more stable, families displaced by the conflict began heading back toward southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut, the Associated Press reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video message that the moment could open the door to what he described as a “historic peace agreement with Lebanon.” However, he added that Israeli troops will remain inside Lebanese territory as part of what he called a strengthened security buffer zone.

Hezbollah, the militant organization Israel has been battling, was not involved in negotiating the ceasefire. The group issued statements that did not clearly confirm whether it will follow the agreement, although it has previously complied with deals arranged by Lebanon’s government.

Under the framework developed with the U.S. State Department, Israel maintains the right to defend itself but has agreed to refrain from launching offensive military operations in Lebanon by land, air, or sea during the ceasefire period.

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