Israel, Hezbollah agree on 60-day ceasefire

Israel and Hezbollah, the militant group based in Lebanon, have reached a 60-day ceasefire agreement. 

US President Joe Biden said the deal would lead to a “permanent cessation of hostilities”. Biden added that the US would lead another push for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Negotiators have described the Israel-Hezbollah deal as the foundation for a lasting truce.

During the period, Hezbollah fighters are expected to retreat 40 kilometres from Israel’s border, with Israeli ground forces withdrawing from Lebanese territory.

Hours before the agreement, Israeli forces bombarded Beirut’s southern border 20 times in two minutes, with Hezbollah saying it launched drones towards Israel.

On Tuesday, Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed 25 people.

Despite the ceasefire deal, Israel has warned residents displaced by fighting not to return to their homes in Lebanon just yet.

BACKGROUND

Israel and Hezbollah intensified air strike exchanges in August.

Israeli troops began a land invasion of Lebanon almost two months ago.

On August 25, the Israeli military said 100 of its fighter jets launched pre-emptive strikes into Lebanon after identifying that Hezbollah was “preparing to fire missiles and rockets toward Israeli territory”.

Israel said the jets “struck and destroyed thousands of rocket launcher barrels” across dozens of launch sites in Lebanon.

Shortly after the strikes from Israel, Hezbollah said it launched hundreds of rockets and drones into Israeli territory.

The group said it fired more than 320 rockets, adding that the “first phase” of its attack against Israel was complete.

It said the strikes were a retaliation for the assassination of a senior commander in Beirut by Israel.

In mid-September, at least a dozen people were reported killed and about 2,750 wounded after pagers exploded across Lebanon.

Israel was blamed for the explosion of the pagers.

A pager is a wireless communications device that receives and displays messages.

Hezbollah uses pagers as a low-tech means of communication to ostensibly evade tracking by Israel.