Key events
The US president, Donald Trump, has posted a short statement on Truth Social about the 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
âMay have been a historic day for Lebanon. Good things are happening!!!â Trump wrote, signing off as âPresident DJTâ.
Welcome summary
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East.
United Nations chief AntĂłnio Guterres has welcomed the ceasefire announced on Thursday between Israel and Lebanon, urging âall actorsâ to fully respect the truce.
âThe secretary general welcomes the announcement of a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, and commends the role of the United States in facilitatingâ it, Guterres spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement, adding he hoped the temporary halt to fighting would âpave the way for negotiationsâ.
The ceasefire took effect at midnight on Thursday (2100 GMT) in Lebanon, where Israel has been conducting devastating airstrikes aimed at wiping out the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia.
The Lebanese army warned people displaced from southern Lebanon about returning home because of intermittent shelling that was reported after the ceasefire came into effect.
The terms of the truce, as provided by the US state department, prohibit Israel from offensive military actions in Lebanon. But they appear to leave more room for âself-defenceâ, including âagainst planned, imminent or ongoing attacksâ.
Weâll bring you more on this soon. Here is a summary of other key developments:
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A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon has come into effect, pausing fighting in a devastating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that has killed more than 2,100 Lebanese people and displaced more than 2.1 million. The agreement was announced earlier by Donald Trump, who said he had spoken with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, and invited both leaders âfor meaningful talksâ at the White House. Both leaders welcomed the agreement. But how long the ceasefire will hold is the key question, as both Israel and Hezbollah have maintained their right to defend themselves if the truce is broken. Hereâs our report.
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Netanyahu called it a âhistoricâ opportunity for peace, though he refused to withdraw his troops from southern Lebanon during the pause in fighting. âWe are remaining in Lebanon in an expanded security zone,â he said, due to the âdanger of an invasionâ and to prevent fire into Israel. âThat is where we are, and we are not leaving.â The Israeli prime minister maintained that his key demand was dismantling Hezbollah. He has previously declared his intention to occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani River â about 30km from the border â while Lebanon demands the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces and for displaced residents to be able to return to their homes.
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Iranâs foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei welcomed the ceasefire and stressed it was already part of the original Iran-US agreement brokered by Pakistan. Baghaei said Iran emphasised âfrom the outsetâ the need for a âsimultaneous ceasefire throughout the region, including Lebanonâ, and expressed his âsolidarityâ with the people and government of Lebanon. He called for the return of displaced residents to their homes and emphasised the necessity of the âcomplete withdrawalâ of Israeli forces from the south of the country â which, as mentioned, Israel has refused to do.
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The Lebanese army urged residents to âexercise restraintâ in returning to their villages and towns in southern Lebanon ahead of the ceasefire coming into effect. The army added that even then residents should avoid areas that remain occupied by Israeli forces. It was followed by a similar statement issued by Hezbollah, urging caution amid Israelâs history of âbreaking covenants and agreementsâ.
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The Israeli military issued an urgent warning to the people of southern Lebanon not to return south of the Litani River despite the ceasefire coming into force.
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In the hours before the truce took effect, Israel and Hezbollah continued to exchange fire. Just as the ceasefire came into force, the Israeli military said it had hit more than 380 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon in the past 24 hours, including rocket launchers, headquarters and Hezbollah members themselves. Meanwhile, Israeli strikes on Lebanese towns and villages killed dozens of people, including an attack on the town of Ghazieh which killed at least seven people and wounded 33, the health ministry said on Thursday.
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