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A temporary halt in fighting between Israel and Lebanon has begun, marking a 10-day pause in hostilities that has resulted in both optimism and concern on the ground.
The ceasefire, announced Thursday by Donald Trump, includes Israel and the Iran-backed group Hezbollah. As the truce took effect at midnight, celebratory gunfire echoed across Beirut, reflecting a sense of relief among many Lebanese after weeks of conflict.
Despite official warnings, some displaced residents immediately started heading back toward southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut, areas heavily affected by the fighting. Authorities urged caution, noting uncertainty over whether the ceasefire would hold.
Early Friday, the Lebanese army accused Israel of breaching the agreement through sporadic shelling in several southern villages. Israel had not publicly responded to those allegations at the time.
Hezbollah stated that its final military action before the ceasefire occurred just minutes before the deadline, claiming it carried out an attack at 11:50 p.m. local time. Shortly after the truce began, Trump publicly called on Hezbollah to adhere to the agreement and avoid further violence.
The recent escalation traces back to March 2, when Hezbollah entered the conflict in alignment with Iran, prompting a renewed Israeli military campaign in Lebanon. This latest round of fighting followed roughly 15 months after the previous major confrontation between the two sides.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel agreed to the ceasefire as part of broader diplomatic efforts but emphasized that Israeli forces would remain stationed in a designated “security zone” inside Lebanese territory.
On the Lebanese side, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam welcomed the development, calling the ceasefire a long-standing objective and a key outcome of recent talks between Lebanese and Israeli representatives in the United States.
Trump also proposed hosting both nations’ leaders at the White House, describing it as a potential opportunity for the most substantive dialogue between Israel and Lebanon in decades.
Regionally, the ceasefire received support from multiple countries. Iran’s foreign ministry framed it as an understanding with the United States aimed at reducing tensions across the region. Meanwhile, Qatar, Jordan, and Bahrain all issued statements endorsing the pause in fighting.
