Lebanon announces partial ceasefire with Israel amid broader regional conflict

Lebanon announced a partial ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel on Monday, marking a potential de-escalation of a conflict that has significantly inflamed the broader U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. The agreement, announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, calls for Israel to cease strikes on Beirut and its Hezbollah-controlled suburbs, while the Iran-aligned group would halt its attacks on Israel.

Despite the announcement, hostilities in southern Lebanon, where Israel has advanced, continued on Monday evening. The Israeli military reported intercepting projectiles from Lebanon into northern Israel early Tuesday. Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah stated the militia would support a full ceasefire across Lebanon as a precursor to Israeli troop withdrawal, though he did not explicitly confirm a halt to strikes on Israeli territory.

President Trump, who spoke with Hezbollah through intermediaries, a notable move given the U.S. designation of the group as a terrorist organization, also stated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to pull back troops preparing to attack Beirut. However, Netanyahu indicated that Israel would continue military operations in southern Lebanon, pushing deeper into the country.

Lebanon plans to seek an expansion of the ceasefire in upcoming talks in Washington. This could potentially pave the way for renewed efforts to end the three-month-old war, which began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. The process has been stalled for weeks under a fragile ceasefire, with negotiators struggling to agree on a framework for peace talks. Iran has linked a halt to Israeli attacks in Lebanon to any deal ending the war, while the U.S. maintains the conflicts are separate. Adding to the tension, Iranian state media reported Tehran was halting indirect peace negotiations with the U.S. and might end its own ceasefire, citing the war in Lebanon.

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The ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. is unequivocally a ceasefire on all fronts, including in Lebanon.