11 minutes agoIsrael and Hezbollah Reach Peace Accords
Periskopi(3 hours ago)
(3 hours ago)Israel and Hezbollah have reached ceasefire agreements Friday, hours after Israeli air strikes south of Lebanon. The truce between them comes two days after a memorandum of peace between the United States and Iran entered into force.
Israeli Protection Forces (IDF) confirmed on Friday afternoon that the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is already in effect.
IDF spokesman Effie Defran said in a statement: “We are on ceasefire. The IDF is prepared to continue fighting if asked to do this”.
Meanwhile, a senior US official told Reuters earlier that, “after the fire exchange earlier today, Israel and Hezbollah are now on ceasefire”.
He added that the United States, Qatar and Iran helped reach the ceasefire agreement.
Israel has carried out attacks against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon since March 2nd, two days after the start of the US-Israel war against Iran, when Hezbollah forces opened fire in support of Tehran.
Iran has repeatedly expressed strong support for Lebanon and has linked the conflict to a wider regional solution.
Hezbollah is a militant group and political party that controls a large part of southern Lebanon. It is considered a terrorist organisation by the United States, while the European Union has put its armed arm on the blacklist.
A ceasefire that has been in force since April 17th and later lasted in April, May and June had limited the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, but had not stopped them completely.
Hundreds of people have been killed in attacks since then, and parties have accused each other of multiple violations of the agreement.
Meanwhile, Iran and the United States announced on 17 June the arrival of an agreement to end the war.
The first point of agreement between the United States and Iran envisions the immediate and permanent interruption of military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon.
The agreement also engages all sides to ensure Lebanon's territorial integrity and sovereignty.
The memorandum of understanding, built on 14 points, includes the reopening of Hormuz Strait, Iran's pledge never to own nuclear weapons, a $300 billion plan for Iran's reconstruction, and the removal of all kinds of sanctions on Iran.
American officials have stated earlier that, although Lebanon is involved under the ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory is not a condition of agreement and that Israel will continue to maintain its right to self-defense. / REL/
