Hezbollah and Israel Agree to Ceasefire

Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a ceasefire to their ongoing conflict in southern Lebanon.

President Joe Biden announced the ceasefire Tuesday, and it is set to go into effect 4:00 a.m. (local time) Wednesday.

“​​This is designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities,” Biden stated in his announcement. “What is left of Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations will not be allowed, I emphasize, will not be allowed, to threaten the security of Israel again.”

“Civilians on both sides will soon be able to safely return to their communities, and begin to rebuild their homes, their schools, their farms, their businesses and their very lives,” Biden added.

The ceasefire will create a 60-day truce, during which both sides will withdraw their forces from southern Lebanon. The Israeli army will withdraw back into Israel, ending its two-month long incursion into Lebanon, while Hezbollah will withdraw to north of the Litani river. The Lebanese army and United Nations peacekeepers will monitor the truce and fill the vacuum in southern Lebanon.

The ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel has resulted in the deaths of over 3,000 Lebanese and 100 Israelis. Over a million Lebanese and tens of thousands of Israelis have also been displaced.