“BUFFER ZONE”

Lebanon was dragged into the war in the Middle East on Mar 2, when Hezbollah opened fire in support of Tehran, prompting an Israeli offensive in Lebanon just 15 months after the last major conflict between the group and Israel.

Israeli attacks have killed more than 2,100 people in Lebanon since Mar 2 and forced more than 1.2 million to flee, Lebanese authorities say. Hezbollah attacks have killed two ⁠Israeli civilians, while 13 Israeli soldiers have died in Lebanon since Mar 2, Israel says.

Israeli forces have invaded areas of southern Lebanon, and vowed to maintain control over territory extending all the way to the Litani River, which meets the Mediterranean some 30 km (20 miles) north of Israel‘s border. Israel ordered residents out of the area south of the Litani during the war.

Israeli troops have since destroyed Lebanese villages in the area, saying their aim is to create a “buffer zone” to protect northern Israeli towns from Hezbollah attacks.

In Beirut, Lebanese doctor Fadi Sharara told Reuters he wasn’t optimistic about the ceasefire’s prospects. “I don’t think it will succeed because it’s impossible for Hezbollah to surrender its weapons and (Hezbollah) doesn’t have trust in that,” Sharara told Reuters.

Senior Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah, speaking to Reuters minutes before Trump’s announcement, said the group had been informed by Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon that a ceasefire could begin on Thursday evening. After the announcement, he said it would be for 10 days.

Asked if Hezbollah would commit to the truce, Fadlallah said everything depended on Israel halting all forms of hostilities, and credited Iran’s diplomatic efforts for the possible ceasefire.