World leaders hail Lebanon ceasefire, hope it will open door to end Gaza war

The international community — including Iran, the main backer of Hezbollah — welcomed the ceasefire that went into effect early Wednesday between Israel and the Lebanese terror group, and expressed hopes that it could also pave the way toward an end to the war in Gaza.

Iran, a backer of both Hezbollah and Hamas, welcomed the end of Israel’s “aggression” in Lebanon and its foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei stressed the Islamic Republic’s “firm support for the Lebanese government, nation and resistance.”

Baghaei said that Iran still sought a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. But like Hezbollah, it dropped the demand that a Gaza ceasefire take place at the same time as the one in Lebanon.

He also called for the International Criminal Court to try the “criminals of the occupying regime,” referring to Israel. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza.

The halt to fighting in Lebanon is also expected to reduce the likelihood of war between Israel and Iran, which exchanged direct fire with the Jewish state on two occasions earlier this year.

Hezbollah, which began firing rockets into Israel on October 8, 2023, one day after the Hamas massacre in southern Israel that killed some 1,200 people and saw another 251 taken hostages, had long vowed that it would not stop fighting Israel until there was also a ceasefire deal in Gaza.

Israel viewed forcing Hezbollah to drop the demand to first end the Gaza war as a significant achievement and expressed hope that it would further ramp up pressure on the Palestinian terror group to reach a deal and free the hostages.

After almost a year of cross-border attacks from Hezbollah, Israel stepped up its fight against the terror group in September, sending ground forces across the border to dismantle Hezbollah positions and waging an aggressive air campaign that killed much of Hezbollah’s top leadership, including long-time chief Hassan Nasrallah.

The offensive was aimed at driving Hezbollah away from the border and making it safe for tens of thousands of Israelis who had been evacuated from their homes in northern Israel to return.

The ceasefire calls for an initial two-month halt to fighting and requires Hezbollah to end its armed presence in southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops are to return to their side of the border. Thousands of additional Lebanese army troops and UN observers would deploy in the south, and an international panel headed by the United States would monitor compliance.

Hopes for Gaza

The US and France, which mediated the deal and will play a role in overseeing the implementation of the agreements, expressed hope that it would lead to long-term quiet that would spread to Gaza.

The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will protect Israel from the threat of Hezbollah and create the conditions for a “lasting calm,” US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron said ahead of the truce coming into force.

“The announcement today will cease the fighting in Lebanon, and secure Israel from the threat of Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations operating from Lebanon,” the leaders said in a joint statement.

The United States and France will work “to ensure this arrangement is fully implemented” and lead international efforts for “capacity-building” of the Lebanese army, they added.

The Lebanese army is supposed to deploy into southern Lebanon as Israeli troops withdraw and ensure that Hezbollah does not try and reestablish a military presence south of the Litani River, some 18 miles from the border with Israel.

Biden welcomed the deal as “good news” and also said the United States would lead a fresh effort to secure a truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Macron said the Lebanon ceasefire should “open the path” for an ending to the war in Gaza.

“Force must give way to dialogue and negotiation. This has now been achieved in Lebanon, and it must happen as soon as possible in the Gaza Strip,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told franceinfo radio.

Egypt, which has been a key mediator in Gaza, also welcomed the ceasefire, saying it should be a “prelude” to ending the fighting in Gaza and stressing that only diplomacy, not force, could end the conflicts in the region. It also called for the start of a process that would lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Turkey, a bitter critic of Israel, also welcomed the deal, but put the responsibility for its success on Israel.

“It is imperative for the international community to exert pressure on Israel to fully comply with the ceasefire and to provide reparations for the damages it has caused in Lebanon,” the country’s foreign ministry said in a statement without mentioning Hezbollah’s daily rocket fire on Israel.

Ankara, a strong supporter of Hamas, said a ceasefire must also be declared in Gaza as soon as possible for lasting regional peace and stability.

A ray of hope

European leaders also welcomed the deal.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock hailed the agreement as “a ray of hope for the entire region.”

“People on both sides of the border want to live in genuine and lasting security,” Baerbock said in a statement, calling the deal “a success for diplomacy.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer praised a “long overdue” ceasefire that would “provide some measure of relief to the civilian populations” of both Israel and Lebanon.

Calling for the truce to be “turned into a lasting political solution in Lebanon,” Starmer vowed to be at the “forefront of efforts to break the ongoing cycle of violence in pursuit of a long-term, sustainable peace in the Middle East.”

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen hailed the “very encouraging news” of the ceasefire, saying it would increase Lebanon’s “internal security and stability.”

The announcement was welcome news “first and foremost for the Lebanese and Israeli people affected by the fighting,” Von der Leyen said on X. “Lebanon will have an opportunity to increase internal security and stability thanks to Hezbollah’s reduced influence.”

China also welcomed the deal.

“We support all efforts conducive to easing tensions and achieving peace and welcome the agreement reached by relevant parties on a ceasefire,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said during a regular briefing.

The UN welcomed the ceasefire agreement, but warned that “considerable work lies ahead” to implement the deal.

“Nothing less than the full and unwavering commitment of both parties is required,” the UN special coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, said in a statement.

Thousands will join the resistance

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the ceasefire was a “fundamental step” toward restoring stability in the region.

Thanking France and the United States for their involvement, Mikati also reiterated his government’s commitment to “strengthen the army’s presence in the south.”

The Lebanese state’s ability to rein in Hezbollah, something which it has not managed over the past few decades, is seen as the key to making the ceasefire work.

Highlighting the difficulties Lebanon will face in tackling the terror group, which remains heavily armed and an influential force in Lebanese politics, officials affiliated with the group vowed to return even stronger.

Hezbollah has not formally commented on the ceasefire, but senior official Hassan Fadlallah told Lebanon’s Al Jadeed TV that while it supported the extension of the Lebanese state’s authority, the group would emerge from the war stronger.

“Thousands will join the resistance… Disarming the resistance was an Israeli proposal that fell through,” said Fadlallah, who is also a member of Lebanon’s parliament.

The front page of the pro-Hezbollah Al-Akhbar paper featured a picture of two men carrying a Hezbollah flag in front of a partially collapsed building with the caption, “Steadfast… and victorious.”

In Lebanon there was some celebratory gunfire in Beirut after the ceasefire went into effect.

Hundreds of people could be seen attempting to return to southern Lebanon despite calls from both the Israeli and Lebanese military for people to wait until the IDF completes its withdrawal.

Later, cars and vans piled high with mattresses, suitcases and even furniture streamed through the southern port city of Tyre, which was heavily bombed in the final days before the ceasefire, heading further south.

Some cars waved Lebanese flags, others honked, and one woman could be seen flashing the victory sign with her fingers.

Many of the villages the people were likely returning to have been destroyed. But displaced families renting out alternative housing have been under financial pressure and hoped to having avoid paying another month of rent, some of them told Reuters.

Some displaced people said they were nervous about returning.

Hussam Arrout, a father of four who said he was displaced from Beirut’s southern suburbs and was originally from the southern border village of Mays al-Jabal, said he was itching to get to his ancestral home.

“The Israelis haven’t withdrawn in full, they’re still on the edge. So we decided to wait until the army announces that we can go in. Then we’ll turn the cars on immediately and go to the village,” he said.