Ceasefire Between Israel and Hezbollah Restored as Tensions Threaten US–Iran Deal
Multiple sources close to the matter say Israel and Hezbollah have reached an understanding to bring back a ceasefire agreement.
From sources that are familiar with the negotiations, the truce between Israel and Hezbollah was set to take place at 9 AM Eastern Time, brokered jointly by the United States and Qatar. A separate diplomatic source painted a slightly different picture, identifying Qatar, the US, and Iran as the mediating parties.
During a Friday afternoon briefing, a spokesperson for the IDF would not confirm that any ceasefire had taken effect. The military, the spokesperson explained, intends to keep operating under its current political instructions and will only change course if those orders are revised.
The development comes on the heels of a fresh round of Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon earlier today, which left at least 21 people dead. That offensive was launched in retaliation after Hezbollah killed four soldiers in the south of the country.
Tehran moved quickly to condemn the strikes, warning that its readiness to strike any deal with Washington still depends on an end to the fighting in Lebanon, a stipulation it linked to the first clause of a preliminary framework both sides had signed.
US Vice President JD Vance had originally been scheduled to travel to Switzerland on Friday for an opening round of technical discussions with Iranian representatives. Those talks were postponed, though, after Iran pushed for guarantees that the hostilities in Lebanon would cease. Vance has publicly faulted Israel's military campaign, contending that it has endangered the already-fragile negotiation talks with the Iranian campaign.