A ten-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon came into effect at midnight on Thursday to Friday, hours after it was announced by US President Donald Trump, but the Lebanese army reported violations by the Israeli side in the southern part of the country a short time later.
The guns were supposed to fall silent at midnight, a month and a half after the conflict between Israel and the Iranian-backed Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah began. AFP journalists reported hearing heavy gunfire at that time, apparently in celebration, in the southern sector of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold.
At the same time, US President Donald Trump hinted on Thursday that developments towards an agreement with Iran may be imminent, while a second round of negotiations could take place even as early as next weekend.
"We're going to have a victory. Very soon," Trump said. He said Tehran now appears willing to accept terms it wouldn't accept two months ago, saying there is an agreement that the country will not acquire a nuclear weapon and will surrender its "nuclear dust."
Speaking to reporters outside the White House, the US president said it was possible to extend the two-week ceasefire that the two sides have already agreed to, but added that an extension might not even be necessary. He also noted that if an agreement is reached and signed in Islamabad, he might go there himself.
Meanwhile, a Pakistani source involved in the mediation between the US and Iran said today that progress is being made in behind-the-scenes diplomatic efforts and estimated that an upcoming meeting between the two sides could lead to the signing of an agreement. Initially, the US and Iran will sign a memorandum of understanding and within 60 days a comprehensive agreement will follow, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “The detailed agreement comes later. Both sides agree on the principle and the technical details come later,” he said.
Another diplomatic source said Pakistan's main mediator, the country's chief of army staff, General Asim Munir, has been holding talks in Tehran since Wednesday and has made progress on "thorny issues."
Hezbollah responds to allegations of attacks by Israel
Footage taken by AFP cameras showed people returning to the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, which has been the target of almost daily Israeli bombing in recent days. Some waved the yellow Hezbollah flag or held portraits of its former leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in a deadly Israeli airstrike in 2024.
"We are exhausted by the war" and "we want security and peace," Jamal Chebab, a 61-year-old housewife, told Agence France-Presse yesterday in Beirut.
But a few hours later, the Lebanese army accused Israel of “violations” of the ceasefire: it referred via X to “several Israeli attacks that were recorded” and “sporadic shelling” of artillery that hit “a number of villages.” It also called on residents not to immediately return to southern Lebanon.
The Israeli army warned that it would maintain its positions in southern Lebanon and demanded that civilians not return to the southern bank of the Litani River and areas further south.
Despite all the warnings, AFP journalists saw huge traffic jams forming north of the Litani River, with drivers waiting patiently for hours to cross the only remaining bridge connecting the south to the rest of the country.
For its part, Hezbollah announced that it "bombed a gathering of Israeli soldiers near the city of Hiam", in southern Lebanon, "in retaliation for the violation of the ceasefire by the occupation army".
The Lebanese national news agency ANI reported that there were shellings against Hiam (southeast) and the neighboring village of Debin, while it spoke of "intense" drone activity in the same area.
US President Trump announced yesterday that the Israeli and Lebanese governments have agreed to declare a ceasefire for ten days, adding that he is trying to organize the first meeting - at the White House - between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Over 2.000 dead
"I hope Hezbollah behaves well during this important period. It will be a great moment for them if they do. Enough with the killing. We must finally have peace!" the Republican then said via Truth Social, typing this last word in particular in capital letters, as he usually does for emphasis.
Ibrahim Moussaoui, a Hezbollah MP, assured Agence France-Presse that the movement will respect the ceasefire, "provided that it is a total cessation of hostilities against us and that Israel does not exploit it to commit murders."
Lebanon was dragged into the Middle East war on March 2 after Hezbollah launched missiles at Israel in support of Iran, amid a large-scale US-Israeli offensive.
Despite a two-week ceasefire that came into effect on April 8 between the US and the Islamic Republic, Israel has continued its military operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah. According to authorities in Beirut, more than 2.000 people have been killed since March 2, while more than a million civilians - a fifth of the population - have been forcibly displaced, according to UN estimates.
A chance for "peace"?
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam praised the agreement, as did Mr. Netanyahu, who spoke of an opportunity for “historic peace” with Beirut – but repeated his demand that Hezbollah disarm as a necessary condition.
On the ground, fighting continued until the last minute before the ceasefire came into effect. Shortly after the US president made the announcement, the Health Ministry in Beirut reported seven dead and 33 wounded in Israeli shelling in the south. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for attacks on Israeli military positions that caused three injuries, two of them serious, in northern Israeli territory.
As the ceasefire began, the Israeli military announced that it had struck 380 Hezbollah “targets” in Lebanon (“terrorists,” “headquarters,” “rocket launchers,” etc.) during the previous 24 hours.
Lawyer Tarek Bou Khalil, sitting in a cafe in the Lebanese capital, did not hide his doubts yesterday about whether and how this war will end. "We know that you can't take Trump at his word, and that Netanyahu is not to be trusted," he explained.
It was "the pressures due to the war with Iran and the mistakes of Netanyahu and the Israeli army in southern Lebanon" that "forced them to accept a ceasefire," he added.
