Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire begins in Lebanon
CNN
The Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire agreement has taken effect in Lebanon. Follow for live updates on war in the Middle East.
• An Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire has taken effect and is largely holding in Lebanon, potentially bringing an end to more than a year of cross-border strikes and months of a full-scale war that has killed thousands. • The deal stipulates a 60-day halt in hostilities, which negotiators have described as the foundation of a lasting truce. In that time, Hezbollah fighters are expected to retreat 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Israel border, while Israeli ground forces should withdraw from Lebanese territory. • Hamas said it is committed to cooperating with “any efforts” to achieve a truce in Gaza. According to a senior official, the Biden administration believes that the deal has the potential to be a “game changer” and revive Israeli negotiations with Hamas. • Displaced Lebanese residents are heading home despite warnings from the Israeli military and Lebanon’s army not to return immediately as their troop movements will take time. A ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon is now in force, but many residents of Israel’s northern communities refuse to return home, while those who have remained say the deal is unlikely to bring permanent peace. CNN visited the border town of Shtula on Wednesday just hours after the ceasefire took effect. The frontline community is just a few hundred feet away from the Lebanese border, and was once home to some 300 residents, many of whom fled after the war began last year.
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Israel is at a “high level of readiness” for a response from Iran, an Israeli military source told CNN, as US officials visited the Middle East for a renewed push to resolve the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. Follow live updates.