Israel and Lebanon have agreed to implement a full ceasefire on their shared border, but the truce will take effect only if Hezbollah halts all attacks and withdraws its fighters from southern Lebanon, according to a joint statement released in Washington.
U.S. officials said the agreement was reached after days of negotiations in the U.S. capital between Israeli and Lebanese delegations, with Washington acting as the main mediator.
The announcement builds on earlier U.S.-brokered pauses in fighting, including a 10‑day truce that was later extended, but which failed to fully stop exchanges of fire along the frontier. The new deal is described by diplomats as an attempt to turn those temporary arrangements into a comprehensive cessation of hostilities, according to Reuters.
Under the terms outlined by the U.S. State Department, the ceasefire is contingent on Hezbollah ending rocket, drone, and artillery attacks on Israeli territory and pulling all armed personnel out of the sector south of the Litani River.
In return, Israel is expected to stop its air and artillery strikes in Lebanon once those conditions are met, while retaining what officials describe as the right to act in self‑defense against any imminent or ongoing threat.
The agreement also commits both governments to continue direct talks on security arrangements and unresolved issues along the border.
Read more: Israel's 'Death by Hanging' Law: UN Warns of Racial Retrogression and 'Grave' Human Rights Blow
The announcement comes after months of cross‑border clashes that continued even during previous partial ceasefires, including a U.S.-announced arrangement under which Israel scaled back strikes on Beirut in exchange for Hezbollah refraining from attacks.
Despite those understandings, Hezbollah claimed a series of drone and artillery operations near northern Israeli communities, while the Israeli military reported intercepting projectiles fired from Lebanon and carrying out strikes on what it called "terror targets," the BBC reported.
Regional diplomats say the latest deal is designed to address past failures by tying the ceasefire directly to verifiable Hezbollah actions on the ground, particularly its deployment south of the Litani.
The United States has signaled it will monitor implementation and continue to host follow‑up meetings aimed at consolidating the truce into a longer‑term security framework between Israel and Lebanon.
Officials in both countries have not announced a specific start time, saying the full ceasefire will enter into force once international mediators confirm that Hezbollah has stopped attacks and begun its withdrawal, as per The Epoch Times.
© 2026 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
