Updated 6 hours ago - World

Israel and Lebanon agree to full ceasefire, conditioned on steps by Hezbollah

Barak Ravid

Blue sky with a large gray smoke plume rising behind a rocky field; small houses line the base and a tall cell tower stands on the right. — A plume of smoke rises over the town of Kfar Tebnit in southern Lebanon following an Israeli airstrike carried out Wednesday despite a ceasefire agreement having been signed Monday. Photo: Ramiz Dallah/Anadolu via Getty Images

Israel and Lebanon agreed to implement a full ceasefire, contingent on Hezbollah halting attacks and withdrawing its operatives from the area south of the Litani River in Lebanon, according to a joint statement from the U.S., Israel and Lebanon.

Why it matters: Hezbollah had already said it would agree to a full ceasefire, but it was not immediately clear whether the Shia militia would accept the terms agreed by the Israeli and Lebanese governments.

A full ceasefire in Lebanon is one of the key demands Iranian officials have made as part of their negotiations with the Trump administration on an agreement for ending the war.

Driving the news: On Monday, President Trump put the brakes on Israel's plan to launch massive strikes on Beirut in retaliation for Hezbollah's drone and missile strikes.

Trump lashed out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an expletive-laden call.
After the call, Trump announced a new partial ceasefire in Lebanon that included an Israeli commitment not to attack Beirut in return for Hezbollah stopping attacks on Israeli towns along the border.
Despite the announcement, Hezbollah has conducted several drone attacks against targets inside Israel over the past 48 hours.

Zoom in: The new agreement between Israeli and Lebanese officials was reached after two days of negotiations between the two countries at the U.S. State Department, mediated by Trump officials.

As part of this understanding, the two sides agreed to create "pilot zones" in southern Lebanon in which the Lebanese Armed Forces will take exclusive control and make sure there is no Hezbollah presence. In return, the Israel Defense Forces will withdraw from the area.
"These steps will enable progress towards a comprehensive peace and security agreement," the parties said in a joint statement.

Zoom in: "All countries reaffirmed that the future of the relationship between Israel and Lebanon must be decided by the two sovereign governments," the joint statement said.

"They rejected any attempt, by any state or non-state actor, to hold Lebanon's future hostage."

What to watch: In the joint statement, Israel and Lebanon "reaffirmed that they have no hostile intent toward one another and committed to continuing direct negotiations to build confidence, resolve all outstanding issues, and work toward a comprehensive agreement between the two countries."

The parties agreed to hold another round of negotiations over a comprehensive agreement on June 22 in Washington, D.C.

Go deeper: Trump confirms profanity-laced Netanyahu call over Lebanon

Editor's note: This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

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Israel and Lebanon agree to full ceasefire, conditioned on steps by Hezbollah

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