A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon came into effect at midnight on Friday, with celebratory gunfire lighting up the skies over Beirut as residents marked the end of weeks of relentless bombardment that killed over 2,100 people and displaced more than a million.
Trump announced the deal on Thursday and confirmed that Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group that has been fighting alongside Tehran since early March, is included in the truce. JD Vance, who played a central role in the negotiations, reportedly pushed the Israelis for days to agree, believing a pause in Lebanon could help calm the wider regional conflict.
But the complications are already stacking up. Israel has made clear it will not withdraw from southern Lebanon, where it has established what its army chief called a security zone. The Lebanese army reported ceasefire violations within hours of the truce taking effect. Hezbollah has not disarmed and has given no indication it intends to.
The timing is everything. The US-Iran ceasefire expires the same week. A second round of talks between Washington and Tehran is expected in Islamabad this weekend. If both ceasefires hold and both sets of talks succeed, Trump could end April with two Middle East deals nobody thought possible a month ago.
Ten days to find out.
Sources: CNN · Al Jazeera · NBC News · CBS News
