Israel and Hezbollah Have Agreed to a Ceasefire — Reuters

Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah movement have agreed to a cease-fire starting Friday, June 19, Reuters reported, citing a senior U.S. official.

According to the source, the agreement is in effect from 4:00 p.m. local time (1:00 p.m. GMT). “We assume that following this morning’s exchange of fire, Israel and Hezbollah are in a state of ceasefire,” the source told Reuters.

The agreement was preceded by a sharp escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Overnight, at least 18 people were killed in Lebanon as a result of Israeli airstrikes, according to the country’s Ministry of Health. In southern Lebanon, four Israeli soldiers were killed in one of Hezbollah’s deadliest attacks since the start of the current war.

The escalation has jeopardized the temporary agreement between the U.S. and Iran to prevent a larger-scale war in the Middle East. The document, signed this week, obligates the U.S., Iran, and their allies to immediately and permanently cease hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon. According to FT sources, Iran refused to send its delegation to the scheduled talks with the U.S. in Switzerland due to Israel’s attacks on Lebanon on Friday. The meeting between the U.S. and Iranian delegations has been tentatively rescheduled for June 22, the publication’s sources said.

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