Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire takes effect, bringing a halt to fighting after almost 14 months

A US-brokered ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah comes into effect at 4 a.m. local time, bringing a halt to almost 14 months of Hezbollah-initiated fighting across the northern border.

The agreement, which was not published ahead of the deal coming into effect, reportedly provides for a 60-day transition period during which the IDF will withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon; the Lebanese Army will deploy some 5,000 troops to south of the Litani River, including at 33 posts along the border with Israel; Hezbollah forces will leave southern Lebanon, and its military infrastructure will be dismantled. The US is also reportedly providing a side letter specifying Israel’s rights to respond to Hezbollah violations of the ceasefire.

Hezbollah began firing into Israel the day after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught in southern Israel, in support of its fellow Iran-backed terror group, forcing the displacement of some 60,000 residents of northern Israel. Israel’s military responses intensified two months ago, with Israel killing much of Hezbollah’s leadership and destroying much but not all of its missile, rocket and drone capabilities.