Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire taking effect at 5 P.M. local time Thursday, April 16. President Trump announced the agreement, saying both leaders agreed to begin the ceasefire to pursue a path to peace.
An Israeli official told reporters the country agreed to respond only to ‘imminent threats from Hezbollah,’ leaving ambiguity about what triggers a return to hostilities. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he rejected the specific terms Hezbollah had demanded.
The ceasefire follows weeks of intense Israeli operations against Hezbollah command centers in southern Lebanon, Beirut, and the Beqaa Valley. It remains unclear how Hezbollah will respond or whether the Lebanese armed forces have the capacity to quell the powerful group independently.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said an ‘essential step’ to consolidating the ceasefire would be Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and deployment of the Lebanese army to the shared border.