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Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah agreed Friday to halt heavy fighting in southern Lebanon that had threatened to unravel an interim agreement between the United States and Iran to end their war, officials said. Neither Israel nor Hezbollah immediately confirmed the truce.
The agreement came after a heavy exchange of fire killed 47 people in Lebanon and four Israeli soldiers.
Hezbollah and Israel went to war shortly after the wider conflict began, with Hezbollah firing rockets and drones at civilian communities in northern Israel and Israel seizing large swaths of southern Lebanon.
The interim agreement to end the Iran war has already reopened the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran had effectively closed, cutting the global economy off from significant supplies of oil and natural gas. The deal would also relaunch talks on Iran’s nuclear program, the core issue over which Israel and the U.S. began the war on Feb. 28.
But the accord already faces threats, chiefly from Lebanon, where the fighting led to a delay in talks planned for Friday in Switzerland. The agreement calls for a halt to military operations in Lebanon and for its sovereignty to be respected. Neither Israel nor Hezbollah is a party to the deal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to keep Israeli forces in southern Lebanon until the threat is eliminated. Hezbollah has refused to halt its attacks unless Israel commits to withdrawing from Lebanon, which Iran says is also a condition of the deal.
Israel and Hezbollah agreed on Friday to a ceasefire amid fresh fighting that threatened the nascent agreement between Iran and the United States to end their war in the Middle East.
Hours after officials told news organizations about the truce, Israeli artillery fire could still be heard from northern Israel along the Lebanese border, and a large explosion was seen inside Lebanon, according to an Associated Press journalist in northern Israel.
Word of the attempt to halt the fighting came from two regional officials and a U.S. official. The effort was mediated by Qatar, the U.S. and Iran, the regional officials said. The three officials were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.
Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah was supposed to end at 4 p.m. local time, according to a second U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly and also spoke on condition of anonymity.
A Hezbollah official said an agreement to stop fighting could be announced soon, but stopped short of confirming it was in place. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Netanyahu’s office did not immediately comment. However, Netanyahu posted Friday on X that, on his orders, the Israeli army had “struck powerfully” 150 Hezbollah targets, killing dozens of militants.
Military spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Effie Defrin said the military had not received different instructions from the government. He said Israeli forces were operating in a “forward defence zone” and would continue doing so.
Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter, posted on X that Israel “remains firmly committed to an immediate ceasefire” if Hezbollah honours the agreement and ceases hostilities.
The U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding in Versailles, France, on Wednesday night. While it’s a step toward a peace deal, tensions in the Mideast remain high.
Iranian officials did not travel to Switzerland as planned, insisting that the fighting in Lebanon must stop before the talks can take place, according to the two regional officials, an Iranian official and a fourth person familiar with the matter. All spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive conversations behind the scenes. U.S. Vice-President JD Vance also postponed his trip.
The future talks are supposed to bring about a permanent end to the conflict.
On Friday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said consultations through mediators were continuing over the next phase of negotiations to draft a final agreement.
Because the initial deal was signed digitally earlier this week, the talks in Switzerland were not urgent, and plans were underway to hold a meeting in the coming days, he said.
The Israeli military said four soldiers, including a lieutenant-colonel, were killed in an attack on a tank in a village near the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh. An explosive-drone attack wounded five others, military officials added.
Israel then launched multiple strikes against “Hezbollah infrastructure sites” in Nabatiyeh and other areas, according to a military statement that accused the militant group of “blatant ceasefire violations.”
Later, the military said it also struck targets in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon, with Lebanese media reporting that the village of Douris was hit.
“Israel will not tolerate attacks on our soldiers or on our territory, and it will exact a very heavy price from Hezbollah for these attacks,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
Hezbollah acknowledged targeting Israeli tanks and said its attacks were in response to what it called Israel’s own violation of the ceasefire. It said the attacks came after Israeli forces attempted to reach the northern side of Ali al-Taher hilltop, a strategic point overlooking Nabatiyeh that Israeli troops have been trying to capture.
In southern Lebanon, many were forced to flee their villages.
“The situation is lawless, we couldn’t stay,” said Mustafa Zain, who was travelling with his six daughters in a pickup truck.
Israel’s actions have created a rift between Israel and the U.S., with U.S. President Donald Trump becoming increasingly critical of his close ally Netanyahu, who is also facing increasing criticism at home.
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