The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect on Friday afternoon, June 18, after intensive US-Qatari mediation efforts aimed at containing the explosive military escalation on the Lebanese-Israeli front.
Reuters and Axios quoted a senior US official as confirming that the final wording of the agreement was reached under the joint and intensive auspices of the United States and the State of Qatar and with political assistance from Iran, pointing to the commitment of both sides to immediate calm and noting that negotiators learned of the two sides entering into a ceasefire following the exchange of heavy shelling that took place earlier in the day.
Israeli Positioning and Conditions of Response
Israel's Channel 12 and Channel 13, citing political and military officials in Tel Aviv, reported that Israeli forces would maintain their current field deployment inside what they described as the "security zone" in southern Lebanon. The Hebrew sources stressed that the Israeli army will continue to retain full "freedom of action" to confront any potential security threats, stressing that military operations will continue as long as necessary, and that any attack or violation of Israeli territory will be met with an immediate and harsh military response, despite official assurances that its country is committed to the agreement at this stage unless the army is targeted.
The Lebanese Position and Berri's Guarantees
Two senior Hezbollah sources, according to the Reuters news agency, committed to their ceasefire as soon as they received the news of the truce from international mediators;
This commitment on the ground came in conjunction with what informed political sources revealed to Al-Modon about intensive Lebanese-Qatari contacts that took place during the past hours to stabilize the truce and ensure its sustainability.
Based on these deliberations, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nabih Berri, declared his explicit guarantee of Hezbollah's commitment to the ceasefire, while at the same time stipulating Israel's full and comprehensive commitment to stop all its aggressions, massacres and military operations inside Lebanese territory.
Diplomatic reactions
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attacked Israeli policies in a post on the "X" platform, accusing them of seeking to impose a "permanent war" in the region.
Araqchi's comment came in response to statements by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir in which he said Lebanon "must burn all over the world" following the killing of four Jewish state soldiers.
Tehran described these positions as a public declaration of an extermination method based in Tel Aviv that represents a threat to all humanity, in conjunction with leaks about an upcoming official Iranian position that confirms that any regional understandings or agreements that take place behind closed doors will not be at the expense of Lebanese sovereignty, regardless of the total cost.
This successful diplomatic breakthrough came to an end a bloody day of violent Israeli escalation that has killed at least 21 Lebanese, while at the same time reflecting the extent of international and Arab pressure exerted by Qatar in close cooperation with the US administration to prevent the region from sliding into all-out war.
These relentless efforts were linked to a personal and direct pledge made by US President Donald Trump to work to rein in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and prevent the expansion of the field confrontations, which puts the Lebanese-Israeli front in front of a real test of the durability of major regional understandings and the ability of the parties to curb extremist voices within the Israeli government that push for the continuation of military operations.
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