JERUSALEM (dpa-AFX) - A ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon has come into effect in the early hours of Wednesday, and the truce is holding, reports say.
After speaking with the prime ministers of Israel and Lebanon Tuesday, U.S. President Joe Biden announced that their governments have accepted the United States' proposal to end the devastating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
The deal, agreed by both sides for a 60-day halt in fighting, requires Hezbollah to retreat 40 kilometers from the Israel border, and Israel to gradually withdraw its remaining forces on the ground from the Lebanese territory.
Over the next 60 days, the Lebanese Army and the State Security Forces will deploy and take control of their own territory once again. Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in southern Lebanon will not be allowed to be rebuilt.
Thousands of Lebanese civilians have reportedly started returning to their homes in the south, shattered by a deadly conflict that began the day after the October 7th attack by Hamas on Israel, killing thousands.
Biden and French President Immanuel Macron said in a joint statement that the ceasefire will create the conditions to restore lasting calm and allow residents in both countries to return safely to their homes on both sides of the Blue Line.
'The United States and France will work with Israel and Lebanon to ensure this arrangement is fully implemented and enforced, and we remain determined to prevent this conflict from becoming another cycle of violence. The United States and France also commit to lead and support international efforts for capacity-building of the Lebanese Armed Forces as well as economic development throughout Lebanon to advance stability and prosperity in the region,' the statement says.
Biden made it clear that there will be no U.S. troops deployed in southern Lebanon.
The war forced more than 70,000 Israelis to live as refugees in their own country, while 300,000 Lebanese people fled their homes, with many of them seeking refuge in the neighboring Syria.
Many of Hezbollah's senior leaders, including its longtime chief Hassan Nasrallah, were killed and Hezbollah's terrorist infrastructure in southern Lebanon was destroyed in incessant Israeli attacks. Biden said it included miles of sophisticated tunnels, which were prepared for an October 7th-style terrorist attack in northern Israel.
Biden emphasized that 'What is left of Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations will not be allowed to threaten the security of Israel again'.
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