The announcement from the US and France was expected at 9 pm, but instead Benjamin Netanyahu beat everyone to it and in a speech to the nation said that there is an agreement for a ceasefire in Lebanon with Hezbollah.

“I am bringing a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon to the cabinet tonight,” the Israeli prime minister said. “The duration of this agreement will depend on what happens on the ground.”

The announcement comes at the end of a fiery afternoon, with numerous IDF raids hitting Beirut.

But Netanyahu also announced that, in agreement with the US, "we maintain complete military freedom in Lebanon. How long the truce will last depends on what happens on the ground: if Hezbollah rearms, we will attack," added the prime minister, stressing however that "Hezbollah is no longer what it used to be, we have set it back decades."

The US could have a monitoring role, although Pentagon spokesman General Pat Ryder did not officially confirm it: "We are discussing with partners and allied agencies whether to have a monitoring role on the truce. We still need to understand what role the Department of Defense will have."

According to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the truce in Lebanon "will also help achieve an end to the war in Gaza".

(Unioneonline/L)

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