Israel and Hezbollah reach ceasefire agreement

Israel and Hezbollah reached a ceasefire agreement on Friday, hours after Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon. The ceasefire between them comes two days after a peace memorandum between the United States and Iran took effect.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on Friday afternoon that the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is now in effect.

IDF spokeswoman Effie Defrin said in a statement: "We are in a ceasefire. The IDF is prepared to continue fighting if called upon to do so."

Meanwhile, a senior US official earlier told Reuters news agency that, "following the exchange of fire earlier today, Israel and Hezbollah are now in a ceasefire."

He added that the United States, Qatar and Iran helped reach the ceasefire agreement.

Israel has been carrying out attacks against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon since March 2, two days after the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran, when Hezbollah forces opened fire in support of Tehran.

Iran has consistently expressed strong support for Lebanon and linked the conflict to a broader regional solution.

Hezbollah is a militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon. It is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, while the European Union has blacklisted its armed wing.

A ceasefire that has been in effect since April 17 and was later extended in April, May and June had limited the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, but had not stopped it completely.

Hundreds of people have been killed in attacks since then, and the sides have accused each other of numerous violations of the agreement.

Meanwhile, Iran and the United States announced on June 17 that they had reached an agreement to end the war.

The first point of the agreement between the United States and Iran provides for the immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon.

The agreement also commits all parties to guarantee the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon.

The memorandum of understanding, built on 14 points, includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's pledge to never possess nuclear weapons, a $300 billion plan for the reconstruction of Iran, as well as the lifting of all types of sanctions against Iran.

US officials have previously stated that, although Lebanon is included in the ceasefire framework, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory is not a condition of the agreement and that Israel will continue to maintain the right to self-defense./ REL