Israel and Lebanon agree to US-brokered ceasefire, but strikes continue and Hezbollah stays silent

A conditional truce announced in Washington

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to implement a ceasefire following US-brokered negotiations in Washington, according to a joint statement released by the State Department on Wednesday. The cessation of hostilities is contingent on a complete halt to fire by the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia and the evacuation of all its operatives from the South Litani Sector. The two sides also agreed to create "pilot zones" where the Lebanese Armed Forces will take exclusive control of the territory "to the exclusion of all non-state actors."

All countries reaffirmed that the future of the relationship between Israel and Lebanon must be decided by the two sovereign governments.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the ceasefire would come into force within 24 hours of all concerned parties approving it, appearing to refer to Hezbollah. The group, which is not a party to the talks, has not commented on the agreement.

Israel vows to keep striking

Casting immediate doubt on the truce's robustness, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that the military would continue to strike in Lebanon for the time being and would not withdraw from the south. Israeli forces will remain in a self-declared security zone, including the area of Beaufort castle seized at the weekend, "and without the return of the population," Katz added. Israel "will, for the time being, continue its fire and operations on the ground."

Security sources reported several Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon on Thursday. Lebanon's National News Agency said a drone strike on a motorbike killed one person and wounded another. A drone also buzzed over Beirut. The Israeli military said it was continuing to target Hezbollah facilities and warned residents of the south.

The Iran dimension

Tehran has made a ceasefire in Lebanon a condition for any peace deal with Washington, and has suggested it could intervene directly in support of Hezbollah if Israel escalates attacks there. On Monday, Iran said it had suspended back-channel talks with the US in response to Israel's expanding bombing campaign in Lebanon.

US President Donald Trump suggested there could be progress in negotiations with Iran as soon as this weekend. "If it happens, it could happen over the weekend," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, without elaborating. He added that parties were working to separate the issue of reopening the Strait of Hormuz from the conflict in Lebanon.

If it happens, it could happen over the weekend.

Regional violence flares

Wednesday saw one of the most intense bouts of fighting since a separate ceasefire halted large-scale US-Israeli bombing of Iran in early April. Iranian forces struck Kuwait, damaging its airport and injuring more than 60 people, while the US military carried out strikes near the Strait of Hormuz. The strait, through which a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies normally flow, remains largely closed more than three months after the US and Israel launched their strikes on Iran.

Kuwaiti authorities said one person was killed. Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards said they did not fire at Kuwait's airport. Oil prices lost some of the previous day's gains on Thursday on hopes the Lebanon ceasefire could help Washington and Iran find a diplomatic off-ramp.

International reactions

Italy welcomed the truce announcement and called on Hezbollah to stop fighting. Premier Giorgia Meloni's office condemned an attack in southern Lebanon in which a Serbian UNIFIL peacekeeper was killed. "Italy welcomes the announcement of the renewed ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, hoping for a lasting end to hostilities through strict adherence to the commitments made, including the cessation of all military activities by Hezbollah," the statement said.

The Italian government reaffirms its support for Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity, continuing its commitment to peace and stability in the region.

A fragile path forward

Lebanon and Israel agreed to further direct negotiations to build confidence and resolve other outstanding issues. The two countries held their first direct talks in decades in Washington in April, later agreeing to a 14-day ceasefire during which Hezbollah and Israel continued to trade fire daily. Israel's campaign has forced some 1.2 million people to flee their homes, including hundreds of thousands from southern Lebanon, Lebanese authorities say. Most are Shi'ite Muslims.