Israel–Lebanon Ceasefire Comes into Effect Amid Fragile Calm

Jerusalem, April 2026 : A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon came into force at midnight between Thursday and Friday, offering a temporary halt to more than a month of intense hostilities between Israeli forces and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. The truce follows an earlier announcement by US President Donald Trump and is seen as a crucial step toward de-escalation in a volatile region.

The ceasefire aims to end a deadly phase of conflict that has claimed over 2,000 lives, with widespread destruction reported across southern Lebanon and growing security concerns in northern Israel. However, tensions remained high even in the final hours before the agreement took effect.

According to Israeli authorities, the military carried out extensive strikes on Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon in the lead-up to the ceasefire. The targets reportedly included militant operatives, rocket launchers, and command centers, underscoring the intensity of operations just before the truce began.

At the same time, Israel’s emergency service, Magen David Adom, reported that rockets were fired into Israeli territory by Hezbollah shortly before the ceasefire deadline, injuring three people. The exchange highlighted the fragile nature of the agreement and the risk of last-minute escalations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel would maintain a 10-kilometre security zone inside southern Lebanon during the ceasefire period. He justified the move as a necessary security measure, ruling out a full withdrawal and reiterating Israel’s demand for Hezbollah’s disarmament. Netanyahu also described the situation as a potential “historic opportunity” to move toward a broader peace arrangement between the two nations.

On the diplomatic front, President Trump indicated that he plans to host Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House in the coming weeks. If held, the meeting would mark the first such high-level engagement between the two sides in over four decades, raising cautious optimism about longer-term peace prospects.

The current conflict escalated after Israel opened a new front targeting Hezbollah, which controls significant areas in southern Lebanon and has carried out repeated cross-border attacks. Although Lebanon is not officially at war with Israel, it has borne the brunt of retaliatory strikes due to Hezbollah’s actions.

The success of the ceasefire now hinges largely on whether Hezbollah refrains from further attacks and whether both sides exercise restraint. While the truce provides a window for diplomacy, its durability remains uncertain in a region long defined by deep-rooted tensions.