Israel and Lebanon have accepted a U.S.-backed proposal to end a 13-month border conflict that escalated into a full-scale war with Hezbollah in September.
The deal calls for a 60-day cessation of hostilities that negotiators have described as the basis for a lasting ceasefire. During that time, Hezbollah fighters are expected to retreat about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Israel-Lebanon border and Israeli ground forces are expected to withdraw from Lebanese territory.
U.S. President Joe Biden, speaking in the White House Rose Garden, said the agreement, which went into effect early Wednesday at 4 a.m. local time, was “designed to ensure a permanent cessation of hostilities.”
The ceasefire "will create the conditions for the restoration of lasting calm and allow people in both countries to return safely to their homes on both sides of the Blue Line," Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron said in a joint statement referring to the de facto border between Lebanon and Israel.
Read also:
29th UN Climate Summit Concludes: No Breakthroughs
ICC issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Galant and Hamas leader