After 14 months of fighting, Israel, Lebanon's Hezbollah start a ceasefire
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Jerusalem: The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah fighters began early Wednesday, leaving the region on edge about whether it will endure. The ceasefire established on Tuesday is a significant step towards ending nearly 14 months of violence in Gaza caused by Israel's protracted war with Hamas.
There were no immediate reports of suspected truce violations, and there was a sense of joy in Beirut. However, Israel has stated that it will attack if Hezbollah violates the agreement.
The ceasefire calls for an initial two-month halt to fighting and requires Hezbollah to end its armed presence in southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops are to return to their side of the border.
Thousands of additional Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers would deploy in the south, and an international panel headed by the United States would monitor compliance.
An Israeli military spokesman, in an Arabic-language X post in the first half-hour of the ceasefire, warned evacuated residents of southern Lebanon to not head home yet, saying the military remained deployed there.
The ceasefire began at 4 am Wednesday, a day after Israel carried out its most intense wave of airstrikes in Beirut since the start of the conflict that in recent weeks turned into an all-out war. At least 42 people were killed in strikes across the country, according to local authorities.
The ceasefire does not address the devastating war in Gaza, where Hamas is still holding dozens of hostages and the conflict is more intractable.
With PTI inputs
