The Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire in Lebanon was set to begin Friday afternoon after a sharp escalation threatened a broader U.S.-Iran interim agreement and forced the postponement of planned talks in Switzerland, a senior U.S. official said. A senior Israeli official and two Hezbollah sources confirmed the ceasefire, which the U.S. official said was due to begin at 4 p.m. Lebanon time.
Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire starts after deadly escalation
The ceasefire followed heavy overnight fighting in southern Lebanon, where Israel said it struck Hezbollah operatives and infrastructure after accusing the Iran-backed group of repeated ceasefire violations. Hezbollah denied violating truce terms and accused Israel of attacking civilians, destroying homes and continuing ground incursions.
A senior U.S. official said negotiators for the United States and Qatar worked out the ceasefire with help from Iran. The official said Israel and Hezbollah were “now in a ceasefire” after an exchange of fire earlier Friday.
The ceasefire was fragile from the start. Lebanese security sources said Israel carried out about a dozen airstrikes in the first hour after the ceasefire came into effect, but no strikes were recorded after 5 p.m. An Israeli military official said there had been no strikes since 5 p.m. but denied that Israel carried out a dozen strikes after 4 p.m.
A journalist in northern Israel saw airstrikes ongoing inside Lebanon around 4:50 p.m., underscoring the uncertainty around early enforcement. Artillery fire and at least one large explosion were still observed hours after officials described the truce effort.
Israel says forces will remain in southern Lebanon
A senior Israeli official said Israel would keep its forces in southern Lebanon and would not consider itself at war if Hezbollah stopped attacking. The official also said Israel retained freedom to act against emerging threats and threats to its forces and territory.
That position keeps the ceasefire limited and conditional. Israel has seized what it describes as a security zone in southern Lebanon, saying it is trying to protect northern Israel from Hezbollah attacks. Its forces have razed villages where Israeli officials say Hezbollah has embedded itself.
The Israeli military said four soldiers were killed in south Lebanon in one of the deadliest Hezbollah attacks of the war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier vowed to “extract a very heavy price” from Hezbollah after the soldiers were killed.
Hezbollah said its fighters ambushed an Israeli force near Ali al-Taher hill, destroyed three Merkava tanks with guided missiles and later attacked Israeli forces that had moved into the area to retrieve casualties. Heavy fighting was concentrated north of the Litani River, near strategically important high ground that Israeli forces had sought to reach.
U.S.-Iran talks delayed by Lebanon fighting
The Lebanon flare-up also disrupted a broader diplomatic track. U.S.-Iran talks planned for Friday in Switzerland were canceled as fighting in Lebanon raised doubts over the timing of negotiations tied to the interim agreement that helped reopen the Strait of Hormuz to global shipping.
Vice President JD Vance scrapped plans to attend the technical talks in Switzerland. A Swiss foreign ministry statement said the talks had been postponed and that Switzerland remained ready to facilitate the negotiations.
The U.S.-Iran memorandum requires the United States, Iran and their allies to declare an immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon. That condition made the Israel-Hezbollah fighting a direct test of the broader agreement.
Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said Iran had informed the group that talks with Washington could not continue without a comprehensive ceasefire. Iran’s foreign minister also said Washington would be responsible for violations of its commitments under the deal, including ending the fighting in Lebanon.
President Donald Trump later told NBC News that he had spoken with Israel and urged it to agree to the ceasefire. He declined to say whether he spoke directly with Netanyahu.
Casualties rise on both sides
Israeli airstrikes killed at least 47 people in Lebanon since midnight Friday, Lebanon’s health ministry said. Israel reported four soldiers killed in south Lebanon during the same escalation.
Lebanon’s health ministry has recorded 3,912 people killed in Lebanon as a result of Israeli attacks since March 2, including 746 medics, women and children. The ministry’s figures do not separate civilians from combatants.
Israel’s death toll from this round of hostilities with Hezbollah includes at least 32 soldiers and four civilians. The latest fighting began after Hezbollah opened fire at Israel on March 2, drawing Israel into an offensive in Lebanon as the wider regional war escalated.
Neither Israel nor Hezbollah immediately confirmed the truce publicly, though officials said both sides had agreed to halt heavy fighting. A Hezbollah official said an agreement to stop fighting could be announced soon, while Israel’s ambassador to the United States said Israel remained committed to an immediate ceasefire if Hezbollah ceased hostilities.
Ceasefire depends on enforcement
The immediate question is whether the ceasefire can hold while Israeli forces remain inside southern Lebanon and Hezbollah continues to insist that Israel withdraw. Netanyahu has pledged to keep Israeli forces in Lebanon until the threat is eliminated, while Hezbollah has said its attacks would not stop unless Israel commits to leaving Lebanon.
The ceasefire gives Washington a narrow diplomatic opening after days of renewed fire threatened the U.S.-Iran interim agreement. It also leaves unresolved the core dispute on the ground: Israel says it must retain the ability to strike threats near its border, while Hezbollah says Israel’s presence and strikes are themselves violations.
For now, the confirmed development is that U.S., Israeli and Hezbollah-linked sources described a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, with early signs that violence eased after the first hour. Whether it becomes a durable halt in fighting remains unconfirmed.
