Fighting from Lebanon into Israel briefly resumed and then stopped on Friday afternoon, after a ceasefire that took effect at 4:00 p.m. was reportedly reached between Israel and Hezbollah. A senior U.S. official told Reuters that the truce had been agreed, while an Israeli official told Channel 13 that, "We are currently in a ceasefire, if Hezbollah does not attack us, for us this is not time for war." He added that IDF forces remain in southern Lebanon and that Israel keeps "the freedom to act against emerging threats and threats to our forces and our territory."
According to the report, the halt in fire came after Iran instructed Hezbollah not to launch rockets or drones into Israeli territory, in order to create legitimacy for operations against IDF forces. The article says Tehran and Hezbollah want to block any possibility of Israeli-Lebanese negotiations mediated by the United States. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also told his Pakistani counterpart that the IDF must withdraw from Lebanon, otherwise there is no point in turning the memorandum of understanding into a formal agreement.
Despite the ceasefire, Lebanese media later reported IDF strikes in several parts of southern Lebanon, and then sirens were activated in the Western Galilee after a warning about a drone intrusion. IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said in a statement that forces in the field have "full freedom of action to remove threats in any area" and that there are no limits on removing threats. He added that the army is ready to return to intense fighting immediately in any arena.
The Washington Post separately reported that U.S. intelligence agencies warned the Trump administration about steps Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may take to undermine the agreement with Iran, amid rising pressure in the coalition not to withdraw from Lebanon. U.S. officials, however, insist the Iran deal does not prevent Israel from responding to Hezbollah fire, and say Netanyahu’s concerns should be weighed against the need to finalize the deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
