Ceasefire Reached in Lebanon with Embers Remaining; US, Iran Busy Preparing for Weekend Meetings

With a ceasefire reached between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah over airstrikes in Lebanon—which had been seen as a major obstacle to negotiations between the United States and Iran—the post-war follow-up talks that had briefly faltered are back on track.

According to the New York Times on Friday, June 19 (local time), a U.S. official confirmed that Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire, brokered by the United States and Qatar, which took effect at 4 p.m. that day (9 a.m. Eastern Time).

Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli Ambassador to the U.S., also stated on X (formerly Twitter) that Israel is "firmly committed to an immediate ceasefire" and has "halted all offensive operations".

He added, "If Hezbollah complies with the agreement and ceases hostilities, they will meet with peace".

Hezbollah has not yet released a statement regarding the ceasefire.

Prior to this, the Israeli military announced that it had conducted airstrikes on over 80 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon from Thursday night to Friday morning.

It claimed that this was in retaliation for an attack on an Israeli tank unit in southern Lebanon that killed four of its soldiers.

Lebanese health authorities stated that at least 47 people were killed and nearly 100 others were injured in southern and eastern Lebanon on Friday due to the Israeli airstrikes that continued right up until the ceasefire took effect.

Although the worst of the crisis has been averted with the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah, the embers of armed conflict remain as the Israeli military has not withdrawn from Lebanon and continues its military pressure.

Ambassador Leiter emphasized that the Israeli military remains in southern Lebanon "to push back Hezbollah and dismantle terror infrastructure," adding, "We will stay there until that mission is completed".

Israeli military spokesperson Effie Defrin also stated on local television that the Israeli military is conducting operations in parts of southern Lebanon, "destroying terror infrastructure and clearing out terrorists" in areas designated by Israel as a "forward defense zone."

He added that even in areas beyond the "forward defense zone," which extends up to 9.6 kilometers (6 miles) into Lebanese territory, the military will "take action to remove threats in accordance with the agreement."

As Israel and Lebanon enter a precarious ceasefire phase, mediating nations, including the United States, are rushing to find a diplomatic solution.

The U.S. State Department announced on Friday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, and that the next round of Israel-Lebanon talks for peace in Lebanon is scheduled to be held in Washington, D.C., next week.

Earlier this month, Hezbollah rejected a ceasefire agreement drafted by the Israeli and Lebanese governments under U.S. mediation.

Additionally, Secretary Rubio plans to visit the Middle East next week, with expected stops in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Bahrain, U.S. online outlet Axios reported, citing two sources.

Furthermore, in an effort to keep diplomatic channels open, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt are scheduled to meet in Cairo, Egypt, on Sunday, June 21, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry announced.

Earlier, face-to-face negotiations between the United States and Iran, which were scheduled to take place in Switzerland on Friday, fell through in the aftermath of the armed conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

The White House announced on Thursday that Vice President JD Vance's scheduled trip to Switzerland for follow-up working-level discussions on the nuclear deal with Iran had been postponed.

However, Steve Witkoff, U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, is en route to Switzerland, and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner has already arrived in Switzerland, Axios reported.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.