Lebanon and Israel announced on Wednesday that they had agreed to implement a ceasefire following negotiations in Washington aimed at ending the conflict that escalated alongside the war involving Iran.
According to a joint statement issued with the United States, the ceasefire is conditional on a complete halt to attacks by the Iran-backed Hezbollah and the withdrawal of all its operatives from the South Litani Sector.
Under the agreement, pilot zones will be established where the Lebanese Armed Forces will assume exclusive control, preventing the presence of any non-state armed groups.
The two countries had previously agreed to a cessation of hostilities in April, later extended in May, but violence continued despite those arrangements.
On Wednesday, Lebanese security sources reported that Israeli drone strikes killed at least six people in southern Lebanon and targeted a vehicle south of Beirut. Israel, meanwhile, said it intercepted a hostile aircraft believed to have been launched by Hezbollah.
A US-brokered understanding announced earlier this week prompted Israel to suspend plans for strikes on Hezbollah-controlled southern Beirut suburbs, while Hezbollah halted cross-border attacks.
Israel launched military operations in Lebanon in March, targeting Hezbollah after the group carried out attacks across the border in support of Tehran.
Iran has maintained that any agreement to end the conflict initiated by the United States and Israel in late February must also include a ceasefire covering Lebanon.
Lebanon and Israel also agreed to continue direct political and security discussions, with further talks scheduled during the week of June 22 as both sides seek to negotiate a broader and more comprehensive agreement.
