Israel And Hezbollah Reportedly Agree To Resume Ceasefire After Intense Clashes In Southern Lebanon

Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to resume a ceasefire after intense clashes over the past hours, according to a new report.

The Associated Press cited three sources to back the claim. The truce was mediated by Qatar, the U.S. and Iran, they said.

The reported development follows another article detailing that the U.S. had relayed to Iran that Israel wouldn’t further escalates hostilities.

CNN cited a source familiar with the matter who said “Hezbollah violated the ceasefire” and “Israel has agreed to let it be, which was relayed to the Iranians, and it’s up to Hezbollah to stop.” An Israeli source told the outlet that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not plan further retaliation.

Talks between the U.S. and Iran planned for Friday were postponed as clashes continued, with a U.S. official telling Axios that Iranian claims about violations of the ceasefire by Israel could be the reason for the delay. Tehran, in turn, asked for guarantees that hostilities will end before resuming plans to attend the talks. The memorandum of understanding between the countries calls for an end to all clashes in the country.

“The U.S. delegation has been prepared to depart at the first available opportunity. But the logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable,” the White House said in a statement on Thursday night when announcing Vice President JD Vance wouldn’t be traveling. “As of now the Vice President is not departing tonight. We look forward to beginning technical talks as soon as possible.”

Four IDF soldiers were killed in south Lebanon, and five soldiers were wounded hours later. The Lebanese health ministry, in turn, said 18 people were killed and 33 people were wounded by Israeli strikes.

The IDF said it killed dozens of Hezbollah operatives through more than 80 targets over the past hours, reacting to the group’s “repeated violations” of the ceasefire.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had claimed earlier on Thursday that troops will stay in southern Lebanon as along as needed.

A senior Israeli official told Reuters on Thursday that the country is “conducting stubborn negotiations” over the situation in the country.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) also published an updated map of its security zone saying troops won’t withdraw at the moment.