Israel has agreed to a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon, a truce that could pause fighting with the Hezbollah militant group and boost attempts to extend the ceasefire between Iran, the United States and Israel after weeks of devastating war.
US President Donald Trump announced the agreement as a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
However, Israel has not been fighting with Lebanon itself, but rather with the Iranian-backed militants inside the country.
Hezbollah said in a statement that any truce must apply “across all Lebanese territory and must not allow the Israeli enemy any freedom of movement”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he agreed to the ceasefire “to advance” peace efforts with Lebanon.
“We have an opportunity to make a historic peace agreement with Lebanon,” he said in a video message.
Israeli forces have engaged in fierce battles with Hezbollah in the border area.
Israeli troops have pushed into southern Lebanon to create what officials have called a “security zone”, which Mr Netanyahu has said will extend at least 8km to 10km (five to six miles) into Lebanon.
Hezbollah said that “Israeli occupation on our land grants Lebanon and its people the right to resist it, and this matter will be determined based on how developments unfold”, a stance that could complicate the ceasefire.
Mr Netanyahu said Israeli troops will stay in an expanded security zone in southern Lebanon “much stronger, more extensive and more continuous than before”.
“That is where we are, and we are not leaving,” he said.
Mr Trump posted the ceasefire announcement on his Truth Social platform, saying it was to begin at 5pm Eastern time (9pm GMT).
The announcement comes two days after the countries held their first direct diplomatic talks in decades in Washington.
Hezbollah had opposed direct talks between Lebanon and Israel.
Lebanon has insisted on a ceasefire to stop the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah before engaging in more talks, while vowing to commit to disarming the group.
Israel and Lebanon have technically been at war since Israel was established in 1948, and Lebanon remains deeply divided over diplomatic engagement with Israel.
Mr Trump also invited the leaders of Israel and Lebanon to the White House for what he said would be “the first meaningful talks” between the countries since 1983.
“Both sides want to see PEACE, and I believe that will happen, quickly,” he wrote.
Lebanon and Israel signed an agreement in 1983 saying Lebanon would formally recognise Israel, and Israel would withdraw from Lebanon.
The deal fell apart during Lebanon’s civil war and was formally rescinded a year later.
Mr Trump said the pause in fighting followed “excellent” conversations with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Mr Netanyahu.
A Hezbollah official said the ceasefire was a result of Iran’s negotiations with the US, in which Iran had insisted Lebanon be included in its own ceasefire, and came about through efforts by mediator Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s powerful army chief met on Thursday with Iran’s parliament speaker as part of international efforts to press for an extension to a ceasefire that has paused almost seven weeks of war between Israel, the US and the Islamic Republic.
It was unclear whether the frantic diplomacy could lead to a lasting deal as the two-week ceasefire passes the halfway mark. The Iran war has killed thousands of people and upended global markets by disrupting the flow of oil.
Iranian state television did not provide details on the meeting between General Asim Munir and Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who has emerged as his country’s chief negotiator.
There was no immediate comment from Pakistan, which has become a key mediator after hosting direct talks between the US and Iran that authorities said helped narrow differences between the sides. Mediators are seeking a new round before the ceasefire expires next week.
The White House said any further talks regarding Iran would likely take place in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, though no decision had been made on whether to resume negotiations.
The fragile ceasefire is holding despite a US naval blockade of Iranian ports and Iranian counter-threats to target regional ports across the Red Sea.
The war has jolted markets and rattled the global economy as shipping has been cut off and air strikes have pounded military and civilian infrastructure. Oil prices have fallen amid hopes for an end to fighting, and US stocks on Wednesday surpassed records set in January.
During the fragile ceasefire with Iran, fighting has continued in Lebanon between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
Mr Trump had announced that the leaders of Israel and Lebanon would speak about halting the fighting. If that were to occur, it would be the first direct conversation between the leaders of the two countries in more than 30 years.
But at one point on Thursday, Mr Aoun refused to speak to Mr Netanyahu, a government official familiar with the developments told the Associated Press.
The government official said the remarks were made during a call with US secretary of state Marco Rubio and that Washington “understands Lebanon’s position”.
Washington has not publicly stated its support of a ceasefire as a precondition, and the Israeli government has framed the talks as peace negotiations with a focus on disarming Hezbollah.
Israel and Hezbollah exchanged fire across the border, with Hezbollah targeting towns in northern Israel with rockets and drones. Israeli fire against southern Lebanon intensified, especially around the cities of Tyre, Nabatieh and the strategic town of Bint Jbeil near the border with Israel.
Israel and Lebanon have technically been at war since Israel was established in 1948, and Lebanon remains deeply divided over diplomatic engagement with Israel.
Israeli troops have pushed deeper into southern Lebanon to create what officials have called a “security zone”, which Mr Netanyahu has said will extend at fie to six miles into Lebanon.
Even as the US blockade on Iranian ports and renewed Iranian threats strained the ceasefire, regional officials reported progress, telling AP that the United States and Iran had an “in-principle agreement” to extend it to allow for more diplomacy.
But tensions simmered.
The commander of Iran’s joint military command, Ali Abdollahi, threatened to halt trade in the region if the US does not lift its naval blockade, and a newly appointed military adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said he does not support extending the ceasefire.
Mediators are pushing for a compromise on three main sticking points: Iran’s nuclear programme , the Strait of Hormuz and compensation for wartime damages, according to a regional official involved in the mediation efforts.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Iran is open to discussing the type and level of its uranium enrichment, but his country “based on its needs, must be able to continue enrichment”, Iranian state media reported.
The Pentagon urged Iran to make a deal, with US defence secretary Pete Hegseth telling reporters at the Pentagon that “ultimately, they need to come to the table”.
He said the US will ensure that Iran never has a nuclear weapon.
“We’d prefer to do it the nice way through a deal led by our great vice president and negotiating team. Or we can do it the hard way,” Mr Hegseth said.
Iran has repeatedly insisted that it does not seek a nuclear weapon and that its nuclear programme is for peaceful proposes.
The fighting has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, more than 2,100 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Thirteen US service members have also been killed.
US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said the Trump administration would ramp up economic pain on Iran with new economic sanctions on countries doing business with it, calling the move the “financial equivalent” of a bombing campaign.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, during a visit to Doha, his office said, as part of a regional visit aimed at discussions on the ongoing US-Iran peace process.
Since the war began, Iran has curtailed maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which a fifth of global oil transited through in peacetime.
Tehran’s effective closure of the strait sent oil prices skyrocketing, raising the cost of fuel, food and other basic goods far beyond the Middle East, and the US has responded with a blockade on Iranian shipping.