Lebanon waits to see if US-Iran truce will halt Israeli attacks
Pakistani and Iranian officials say Lebanon is covered by the US-Iran ceasefire, but Israeli leaders signaled they may keep troops and strikes in place.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Lebanon faced a new ceasefire claim on Monday after Pakistani and Iranian officials said a US-Iran agreement covered fighting on Lebanese territory. The announcement raised hopes for displaced residents, but Israeli officials indicated they may keep military positions and continue attacks they say are needed for security.
Al Jazeera reported that videos from southern Lebanon showed people beginning to return to their towns. Lebanese authorities urged caution, and officials told residents of border villages not to go back until the security situation becomes clearer.
The uncertainty follows a sharp escalation that Al Jazeera said began on March 2, after Hezbollah fired six rockets at Israel. The outlet reported that Hezbollah described the launch as a response to more than 10,000 alleged Israeli breaches of a 2024 ceasefire and to the February 28 killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran.
According to Al Jazeera, Israeli attacks since the March escalation have killed at least 3,783 people in Lebanon and wounded 11,699. More than 1.2 million people have been displaced from southern Lebanon, Beirut’s southern suburbs and villages in the Bekaa Valley, the outlet reported.
Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, said the US-Iran deal called for an immediate and permanent halt to military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, according to Al Jazeera. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun welcomed the announcement and said Lebanese citizens were waiting for the understandings to become practical measures that end violence and allow recovery and reconstruction.
Lebanon’s parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, also praised the agreement, according to Al Jazeera. Berri, a close Hezbollah ally, thanked Iran and the United States for including language on stopping Israeli attacks across Lebanon and protecting Lebanese sovereignty.
The Lebanese army said Monday that returning residents should be careful, Al Jazeera reported. The warning came after recent Israeli evacuation orders and bombing in Tyre and Nabatieh, two heavily populated areas in the south, caused widespread destruction, according to the outlet.
Previous ceasefire announcements have failed to stop the conflict. Al Jazeera reported that a November 2024 deal called for Israeli troops to leave Lebanese territory, for hostilities to stop and for Hezbollah to pull its armed presence north of the Litani River. Israel did not fully withdraw and kept positions at five points along the border, while attacks continued, according to the report.
US President Donald Trump announced another Lebanon-Israel ceasefire on April 16, Al Jazeera reported. That declaration reduced attacks on central Beirut and some strikes on Beirut’s suburbs, but fighting in southern Lebanon continued. A June 3 ceasefire following direct Israel-Lebanon talks also had little effect, with Israel continuing to strike Lebanon and Hezbollah firing rockets at Israeli forces in Lebanon and across the border, according to the outlet.
Reuters reported that Hezbollah had not claimed any operations by Monday afternoon after the US-Iran announcement, according to Al Jazeera. Lebanese state media reported an Israeli drone strike on a car in southern Lebanon killed the driver.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Monday that Israel would keep forces in security zones in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza without a set deadline, according to Al Jazeera. Katz said he opposed withdrawing Israeli forces from Lebanon despite current or future pressure.
Karim Safieddine, a non-resident fellow at the Tahrir Institute, told Al Jazeera that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could still try to impose his own terms. Lebanese political analyst Qassem Kassir told the outlet that he believed the broader war was ending, but said lasting security would require an Israeli withdrawal, the return of displaced people and an agreed national defence plan.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.