1 million. The agreement was announced earlier by Donald Trump, who said he had spoken with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, and invited both leaders âfor meaningful talksâ at the White House. Both leaders welcomed the agreement. But how long the ceasefire will hold is the key question, as both Israel and Hezbollah have maintained their right to defend themselves if the truce is broken. Netanyahu called it a âhistoricâ opportunity for peace, though he refused to withdraw his troops from southern Lebanon during the pause in fighting.
âWe are remaining in Lebanon in an expanded security zone,â he said, due to the âdanger of an invasionâ and to prevent fire into Israel. â The Israeli prime minister maintained that his key demand was dismantling Hezbollah. Iranâs foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei welcomed the ceasefire and stressed it was already part of the original Iran-US agreement brokered by Pakistan. Baghaei said Iran emphasised âfrom the outsetâ the need for a âsimultaneous ceasefire throughout the region, including Lebanonâ, and expressed his âsolidarityâ with the people and government of Lebanon. The Lebanese army urged residents to âexercise restraintâ in returning to their villages and towns in southern Lebanon ahead of the ceasefire coming into effect.
The army added that even then residents should avoid areas that remain occupied by Israeli forces. In the hours before the truce took effect, Israel and Hezbollah continued to exchange fire. Just as the ceasefire came into force, the Israeli military said it had hit more than 380 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon in the past 24 hours, including rocket launchers, headquarters and Hezbollah members themselves. Meanwhile, Israeli strikes on Lebanese towns and villages killed dozens of people, including an attack on the town of Ghazieh which killed at least seven people and wounded 33, the health ministry said on Thursday. Continue reading...
