Israel and Lebanon agree to implement a ceasefire under US mediation

Israel and Lebanon announced Wednesday that they had reached an agreement on implementing a ceasefire aimed at ending months of hostilities, in a regional context already marked by the ongoing war with Iran. The agreement was reached following talks held in Washington under US mediation.

According to a joint statement, the ceasefire is conditional on a complete cessation of shelling attributed to Hezbollah and the withdrawal of its fighters from south of the Litani River. The Lebanese Shiite movement, backed by Iran, has been at the heart of cross-border clashes between the two countries for several months.

The text also provides for the gradual establishment of "pilot zones" in which the Lebanese army would exercise exclusive control of the territory, without the presence of non-state armed groups. This provision aims to strengthen the authority of the Lebanese state in the most unstable areas of the south of the country.

The agreement comes after several cycles of violence despite previous attempts at a truce. Israeli drone strikes have recently killed several people in southern Lebanon and have also targeted areas near Beirut, while Israel claims to have intercepted hostile drones launched from Lebanon.

A previous ceasefire had been discussed earlier in the year, but fighting resumed, illustrating the fragility of the commitments between the various parties. Tensions also remain closely linked to the regional conflict involving Iran, which supports several armed groups active in the area.

In this context, the agreement announced in Washington is presented as an attempt at more structured stabilization. It is part of a series of American diplomatic initiatives aimed at containing the spread of the conflict in the Middle East, while the risks of regional escalation remain high.