A ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah has come into effect, hours after United States President Joe Biden announced that a proposal to end the “devastating” conflict had been reached.
The agreement aims to halt nearly 14 months of cross-border fighting that has resulted in thousands of casualties.
The ceasefire began at 4 a.m. local time (02:00 GMT) on Wednesday, raising hopes for a lasting truce between Israel’s military and Hezbollah forces.
However, concerns linger over whether the agreement will hold.
“The fighting across the Lebanese-Israeli border will end… This is designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities,” Biden said while announcing the agreement on Tuesday night.
He added, “Civilians on both sides will soon be able to safely return to their communities and begin to rebuild their homes, their schools, their farms, their businesses, and their very lives.”
Hezbollah has yet to formally comment on the agreement. The group did not participate in direct talks, with Lebanese parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri mediating on its behalf.
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati told Biden that he welcomed the truce.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also expressed support for the agreement, telling Biden that his government had approved the truce.
Netanyahu acknowledged Biden’s “understanding that Israel will maintain its freedom of action in enforcing it,” according to a statement from his office.
As part of the deal, Israel will “gradually withdraw” its forces from southern Lebanon over the next 60 days.
In parallel, the Lebanese Army and state security forces will deploy to the affected territories.
Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron issued a joint statement emphasizing their commitment to ensuring the agreement is implemented and enforced.
The two leaders also pledged to support efforts aimed at strengthening Lebanon’s security forces and advancing economic development to foster regional stability.
The conflict began on October 8, 2023, when Lebanon launched attacks on Israel in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
This triggered a series of cross-border clashes that escalated into a full-scale Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon last month.
According to Lebanese authorities, at least 3,768 people have been killed and 15,699 wounded since the fighting began.
On Tuesday, Israeli warplanes intensified strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, targeting 20 locations within 120 seconds.
In one particularly devastating attack, a strike on the Nweiri area of Beirut destroyed a four-story building housing displaced people, killing seven and wounding 37 others, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health.
Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett reported from Washington, noting that the ceasefire announcement came during the final days of Biden’s term.
Despite efforts to broker a similar ceasefire in Gaza, the Biden administration has faced criticism for its inability to leverage U.S. military aid to Israel as a tool for peace.
“The fact is, [Tuesday’s ceasefire] falls short of the Biden administration’s goal, in that it does not in any way speak to the conflict in Gaza,” Halkett said.
Still, Biden pledged to “make another push with Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Israel, and others to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza” during his remaining days in office.
He also reiterated his commitment to forging new normalization agreements between Israel and Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, a goal complicated by the ongoing war in Gaza.
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