An American official told Reuters on Friday afternoon that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to a ceasefire that began at 4:00 p.m. No further details were released about the deal, which came hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the IDF would exact a heavy price from Hezbollah. His warning followed the deaths overnight of four Israeli fighters, including the commander of the 52nd Armored Battalion, in Hezbollah fire.
Israeli officials confirmed that Jerusalem had accepted the ceasefire, under which Israel remains in southern Lebanon and retains freedom of action against emerging threats to IDF forces. The arrangement was described as one in which Israel would not strike if Hezbollah refrained from attacking, but would respond if Hezbollah fired again. Before the U.S. announcement, CNN reported, citing a source familiar with the matter, that the IDF would not escalate its attacks in Lebanon. The source said, “Hezbollah violated the ceasefire, but Israel is prepared to let it go, and that has reached the Iranians. Now Hezbollah needs to stop.”
The same message was reflected in Israel before the American announcement, with reports that the IDF did not plan to widen strikes to Beirut or change Home Front Command instructions. IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin also said in a statement that the military was constrained by the political leadership regarding attacks in Beirut. The article notes that in a previous round, Iran threatened after strikes in Beirut to attack Israel with missiles, then backed down, and hours later President Donald Trump announced that a memorandum of understandings had been reached.
The IDF said it had published its deployment map in southern Lebanon on Thursday, showing forces about 10 kilometers inside Lebanese territory in a security zone. The army said its troops were established in their area of operations and were continuing to remove threats and improve protection for northern residents. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ismail Baghaei, condemned what he called Israeli strikes on Lebanon, warned of consequences for regional security, and said the United States bore direct responsibility. He added that Iran would take necessary steps to defend its interests and those of its allies. Netanyahu separately said Israel would not tolerate attacks on its soldiers or territory, would make Hezbollah pay a very heavy price, and would remain in Lebanon’s security strip as long as needed to protect northern communities.
