Jerusalem: Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire on Friday, a US official said, after an escalation in hostilities in Lebanon severely tested the interim US-Iran agreement aimed at ending the wider West Asia conflict.
Following the ceasefire, US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi were set to travel to Switzerland for talks.
US Vice President JD Vance, however, cancelled his planned visit to Switzerland on Thursday amid rising tensions between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
A senior Israeli official and two Hezbollah sources confirmed the ceasefire to Reuters. According to the US official, the truce was scheduled to take effect at 4 p.m. (1300 GMT).
"If Hezbollah does not attack us, then for us it is not a time of war," the Israeli official said, adding that Israeli forces would remain in southern Lebanon.
Two Lebanese security sources said Israel carried out around a dozen airstrikes during the first hour after the ceasefire came into effect, but no strikes were reported after 5 p.m.
An Israeli military official confirmed there had been no strikes after 5 p.m. but denied that Israel had launched a dozen attacks after the ceasefire began. A Reuters journalist in northern Israel reported seeing airstrikes inside Lebanon at around 4:50 p.m.
At around 8 p.m., Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) reported that a drone strike killed two people travelling on a motorcycle along a southern Lebanese highway.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reported drone strike.
Earlier in the day, Israeli airstrikes had killed at least 47 people in Lebanon since midnight, according to the Lebanese health ministry. Israel also reported that four of its soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon in one of Hezbollah's deadliest attacks of the conflict.
The US-Iran agreement requires the United States, Iran, and their respective allies to declare an immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon. However, violence intensified during the week after initially subsiding following the announcement of the agreement.
Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah earlier told Reuters that Iran had informed the group that talks with Washington could not continue without a comprehensive ceasefire.
A senior US official said the ceasefire was brokered by American and Qatari negotiators with assistance from Iran.
"Hezbollah and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire," the US official said. "We understand that after the exchange of fire earlier today, Israel and Hezbollah are now observing a ceasefire."
Israel, which was not consulted during the negotiations leading to this week's US memorandum of understanding with Iran, has expressed frustration over what it sees as pressure to halt its military campaign in Lebanon, launched after Hezbollah fired across the border in solidarity with Tehran on March 2.
The Israeli official said Israel retained the freedom to act against emerging threats to its forces and territory.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had vowed to "extract a very heavy price" from Hezbollah following the killing of four Israeli soldiers.
Israeli officials have also criticised the US-Iran agreement, arguing that it does not adequately address Israel's concerns over Iran's nuclear programme.
Deadly airstrikes
Israel said it carried out strikes targeting Hezbollah operatives and infrastructure across multiple locations in response to repeated violations of the ceasefire by the militant group.
Hezbollah denied violating the ceasefire and accused Israel of repeatedly breaching the truce as well as the terms of the US-Iran agreement. In a statement, the group alleged that Israeli forces had killed civilians, destroyed homes and infrastructure, and continued ground incursions.
Heavy fighting overnight was concentrated around Ali al-Taher hill, north of the Litani River, a strategically important high ground where Israeli forces had sought to advance, according to a senior Lebanese security source.
Hezbollah claimed its fighters ambushed an advancing Israeli force near the hill, destroying three Merkava tanks with guided missiles and targeting troops with rocket and artillery fire. The group also said it attacked Israeli forces attempting to retrieve casualties from the area.
Israel has established what it describes as a security zone in southern Lebanon, saying the move is intended to protect northern Israel from Hezbollah attacks. Israeli forces have also razed villages in the south, alleging that Hezbollah had embedded military infrastructure there.
Hezbollah has continued launching attacks on Israeli positions in southern Lebanon this week, including explosive drone strikes that have killed and injured Israeli troops.
According to Lebanon's health ministry, 3,912 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since March 2, including 746 medics, women and children.
Israel's death toll from the current round of hostilities with Hezbollah stands at at least 32 soldiers and four civilians.
