10-day ceasefire in Lebanon takes effect as Trump predicts war with Iran will end ‘soon’
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A 10-day deal appeared to be in progress in Lebanon early Friday, promising a temporary halt to fighting between Israel and the terrorist group Hezbollah and possibly removing one major obstacle to a deal between Iran, the United States and Israel to end weeks of devastating war.
But it was not clear whether Israel would completely halt the Hezbollah strike, and whether the militant group would see a deal it did not play a part in the negotiations that would leave Israeli forces occupying southern Lebanon.
Gunfire erupted across Beirut as residents fired into the air shortly after midnight to celebrate the start of the deal, and displaced families began moving to southern Lebanon and areas south of Beirut despite warnings from officials not to attempt to return to their homes until it was clear the ceasefire would hold.
US President Donald Trump announced the deal as a “historic day for Lebanon,” as he expressed confidence that the war with Iran would soon end in a speech in Las Vegas.
“I would say the Iran war is going swimmingly,” Trump said. “It should be over soon.”
The relief at the end of the war in Lebanon was tempered by the destruction that many encountered when they returned to their homes.
In a village south of Jibsheet, a group of people are returning to flat houses and streets littered with chunks of concrete, twisted aluminum shutters and dangling power lines.
Scenes of destruction
“I feel free to come back,” said 23-year-old Zainab Fahas. “But look, they destroyed everything: the square, the houses, the shops, everything.”
In the southern part of Beirut in Haret Hreik, Ahmad Lahham, 48, raised the yellow flag of Hezbollah. He stood on top of a mountain of rubble that was his house and owned a branch of Hezbollah’s financial branch, Al-Qard Al-Hassan.
Iran’s pressure on its talks with the US has brought peace, he said, criticizing Lebanon’s direct talks with Israel.
“Only the Iranians stand with us, no one else,” he said, calling Lebanon’s leaders a “shameful leadership.”
An end to Israel’s war with Hezbollah was a key demand of Iran’s negotiators, who previously accused Israel of violating an existing cease-fire agreement in Lebanon. Israel said the deal did not include Lebanon.
Pakistan’s military chief met Thursday with the speaker of Iran’s parliament as part of international efforts to extend the ceasefire.
Although oil prices fell on hopes of a deal, the head of the International Energy Agency warned that the energy shock could be severe if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened soon. Iran blocked the vital waterway, through which a fifth of the world’s oil flows, shortly after the war began. Europe “probably has six weeks or more” of jet fuel left and the broader economic consequences will increase if the shutdown is prolonged, IEA Director General Fatih Birol told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The leaders of France and the UK will gather a number of countries – but not the United States – on Friday to press ahead with plans to reopen the road.
US President Donald Trump has announced that it has been agreed to end hostilities between Israel and Lebanon, and that the agreement includes Hezbollah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israeli troops already in Lebanon will not withdraw.
The war has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, more than 2,100 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in the Gulf Arab countries. Thirteen US service members were also killed.
Israel to keep troops in Lebanon
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he agreed to a ceasefire “to advance” peace efforts with Lebanon, but said the Israeli army would not withdraw.
Israeli forces have clashed with Hezbollah in a border area as they push into southern Lebanon to create what officials have called a safe zone. Netanyahu, in his video speech, said it would add 10 kilometers to Lebanon.
“This is where we are, and we are not leaving,” he said.
Hezbollah said the people of Lebanon “have the right to resist” the Israeli takeover of their land and that their actions “will be determined based on how it happens.”
