A timed cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah has come into effect and is supposed to stop attacks on the border. The agreement is fragile and its details remain unclear.
A timed ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah came into force at 16:00 local time (15:00 CEST) on Friday. An unnamed representative of the United States informed the Reuters news agency about the agreement reached, the TASR news agency reports.
- A timed ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect Friday afternoon.
- Both sides agreed to end mutual attacks on the border.
- The duration of the ceasefire and the specific conditions have not yet been published.
- Washington is covertly engaged in brokering a de-escalation of tensions between the parties.
- The validity of the ceasefire remains uncertain and the security situation may deteriorate further.
According to this source, the two sides agreed to end the mutual attacks that have repeatedly raised tensions on the Israeli-Lebanese border in recent months. The details of the ceasefire mechanism, its possible length and the terms of the agreement have not yet been published.
The beginning of the deal
Hezbollah, which has both a political and a military wing in Lebanon, has long been one of the key actors in the security equation in northern Israel. In the past period, the Israeli army repeatedly responded to rocket and other attacks from Lebanese territory, which led to fears of a more extensive escalation of the conflict.
The American official referred to by Reuters was not named, which indicates the sensitivity of the ongoing negotiations and Washington’s efforts to mediate the reduction of tensions in the region. It is not yet known what role other international actors played in the agreement.
More details later
At the same time, TASR pointed out that the information about the cease-fire is continuously updated, which means that the parameters of the agreement and the reactions of the individual parties may become more precise in the coming hours. It remains open whether the ceasefire will hold and whether it will be possible to prevent further deterioration of the security situation on the border between Israel and Lebanon.
