A ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah has taken effect after 14 months of cross-border fighting that has killed thousands of people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It went into force at 4am (02:00 GMT) on Wednesday. Israel will \u201cgradually withdraw\u201d its forces from southern Lebanon over the next 60 days under the deal, with the Lebanese army joining United Nations peacekeepers in the territory.
The deal has been greeted with relief in Lebanon, where thousands of people were making their way home to the south, defying a warning from the Israeli military to stay away from previously evacuated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are some key reactions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lebanon<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati called for unity after what he said was the \u201cmost cruel phase in Lebanese history\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a televised address, he stressed the jurisdiction of the Lebanese army to provide security in the south of the country and said Israel must stay committed to the deal and withdraw from the south.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He earlier told U.S. President Joe Biden that the ceasefire was a \u201cfundamental step\u201d towards restoring stability in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thanking France and the United States for their involvement, Mikati said he hoped for a \u201cnew page\u201d after the ceasefire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri called for all displaced Lebanese, including those abroad, to return home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCome back to your land. Your land will be stronger with your presence \u2026 You should protect the land that saw the blood of all the martyrs,\u201d he said in a televised address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCome back to your land and bring back life to all the neighbourhoods that the Israeli occupation and aggression tried to destroy. The victory of your land relies on you coming back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Berri also said the country needs to elect a president as soon as possible, calling it \u201ca test so that we can protect Lebanon from all the threats including Israeli threats\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The country has been without a president since Michel Aoun\u2019s term ended in October 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hezbollah<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hezbollah, which did not participate in any direct talks on the ceasefire, has yet to formally comment. Berri mediated on the group\u2019s behalf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Israel<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Biden for his \u201cinvolvement in securing the ceasefire agreement\u201d, saying also that he appreciated the US president\u2019s \u201cunderstanding that Israel will maintain its freedom of action in enforcing it\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before Israel approved the deal, Netanyahu said the \u201clength of the ceasefire depends on what happens in Lebanon\u201d and it would allow Israel to \u201cintensify\u201d pressure on the Palestinian group Hamas and focus on the \u201cIranian threat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thousands of Lebanese displaced by the war began the journey back to the south of the country, celebrating an end to the fighting. \u201cWhat we feel is indescribable,\u201d said one driver. \u201cThe people have won!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Residents returning to the south Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh hailed Hezbollah\u2019s \u201cvictory\u201d as they returned to their homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some headed straight to the place where Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was looking for the place where we lost our souls,\u201d one resident named Diala told the AFP news agency, referring to the site of Israel\u2019s deadly attack on Nasrallah. \u201cI headed straight there and didn\u2019t look at anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Palestinians expressed hope there would be a ceasefire in Gaza, though some feared that Israel might double down on the enclave now that its forces will be freed up from the fighting against Hezbollah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe situation will be worse because the pressure will be more on Gaza,\u201d said Mamdouh Yonis, a man currently living in Khan Younis after being displaced from the southern city of Rafah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahlam Abu Shalabi, a woman displaced from Gaza City, said: \u201cThey agree to a ceasefire in one place and not in the other? Have mercy on the children, the elderly and the women. We are sitting in tents and now it is winter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the ceasefire. \u201cWe support all efforts conducive to easing tensions and achieving peace and welcome the agreement reached by relevant parties on a ceasefire,\u201d said ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cyprus<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President Nikos Christodoulides said his country would support Lebanon \u201cin fostering its state institutions, including the Lebanese Armed Forces,\u201d describing the \u201cmediating role\u201d of the U.S. and France as \u201cinvaluable\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Egypt<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Welcoming the agreement as \u201ca step that could contribute to starting a de-escalation phase in the region\u201d, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it \u201cshould be a prelude to stopping the Israeli aggression on Gaza\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
European Union<\/p>\n\n\n\n
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed the \u201cvery encouraging news\u201d of the ceasefire, saying it would increase Lebanon\u2019s \u201cinternal security and stability\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The announcement was welcome news \u201cfirst and foremost for the Lebanese and Israeli people affected by the fighting\u201d, von der Leyen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lebanon, she said, would \u201chave an opportunity to increase internal security and stability thanks to Hezbollah\u2019s reduced influence\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
France<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot underlined his country\u2019s role in brokering the ceasefire, saying a deal would not have been possible without France\u2019s special relationship with its former protectorate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is true that the United States [has] a privileged relationship with Israel. But with Lebanon, it\u2019s France that has very old ties, very close ties,\u201d Barrot said hours after the ceasefire took force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt would not have been possible to envisage a ceasefire in Lebanon without France being involved on the front line,\u201d he added. \u201cIt\u2019s a success for French diplomacy and we can be proud.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Germany<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called the deal \u201ca ray of hope for the entire region\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPeople on both sides of the border want to live in genuine and lasting security,\u201d she said, adding that the agreement was \u201ca success for diplomacy\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hamas<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Palestinian armed group said in a statement that it was \u201ccommitted to cooperating with any effort to reach a ceasefire in Gaza\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It said an agreement must end the war, pull Israeli forces out of Gaza, return displaced Palestinians to their homes, and achieve a deal that would see captives held in the enclave exchanged for Palestinian prisoners languishing in Israeli jails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said the group \u201cappreciates\u201d Hezbollah\u2019s right to strike a deal protecting its people, adding that it is ready to reach a ceasefire with Israel to stop the fighting in Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking to the Reuters news agency, Abu Zuhri blamed the failure to reach a ceasefire in Gaza on Netanyahu, who has repeatedly accused Hamas of foiling efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHamas showed high flexibility to reach an agreement and it is still committed to that position and is interested in reaching an agreement that ends the war in Gaza,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iran<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed news of the end of Israel\u2019s \u201caggression against Lebanon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei reaffirmed Iran\u2019s \u201cfirm support for the Lebanese government, nation and resistance\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iran still sought a ceasefire in Gaza, he said, and called for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to try the \u201ccriminals of the occupying regime\u201d, referring to Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ICC has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant as well as Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Italy<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a statement that Italy welcomed the ceasefire, for which she said her government had been working for a long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iraq<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The government said the international community must act urgently to end Israel\u2019s war in Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement called for \u201cmultiplying international efforts to avoid any new escalation\u201d along the Israel-Lebanon border, while also urging \u201cserious, urgent steps to stop the continued massacres and violations against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jordan<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called it \u201can important step\u201d, but said \u201cIsraeli aggression on Gaza\u201d must be stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Palestinian Authority<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Palestinian presidency said in a statement, \u201cWe hope that this step will contribute to stopping the violence and instability that the region is suffering from.\u201d It highlighted the need to enforce a UN resolution for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe call on the international community to pressure Israel to stop its criminal war in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and to stop all its escalatory measures against the Palestinian people,\u201d Hussein al-Sheikh, the secretary-general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), posted on X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qatar<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Welcoming the ceasefire, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it \u201cexpresses its hope that it will lead to a similar agreement to halt the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip and the Israeli assaults on the occupied West Bank\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Turkiye<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An outspoken critic of Israeli leaders since the Gaza war erupted last year, the government expressed hope that the ceasefire \u201cwill be permanent\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the international community should exert pressure on Israel to force it to \u201cstrictly comply with the ceasefire and compensate for the damage it has caused in Lebanon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It also urged the establishment of a \u201cpermanent and comprehensive\u201d ceasefire in Gaza, calling on Israel to \u201cend its aggressive policies.\u201d It said it was ready to give Lebanon the \u201cnecessary support for the establishment of internal peace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
United Kingdom<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prime Minister Keir Starmer praised a \u201clong overdue\u201d ceasefire that would \u201cprovide some measure of relief to the civilian populations\u201d of both Israel and Lebanon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Calling for the agreement to be \u201cturned into a lasting political solution in Lebanon\u201d, Starmer promised to be at the \u201cforefront of efforts to break the ongoing cycle of violence in pursuit of a long-term, sustainable peace in the Middle East\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
United Nations<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A top official welcomed the ceasefire but warned that \u201cconsiderable work lies ahead\u201d to implement the deal. \u201cNothing less than the full and unwavering commitment of both parties is required,\u201d said UN special coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
United States<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Announcing the deal on Tuesday night, President Joe Biden said it was \u201cdesigned to be a permanent cessation of hostilities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCivilians on both sides will soon be able to safely return to their communities and begin to rebuild their homes, their schools, their farms, their businesses and their very lives,\u201d Biden said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The outgoing president described the agreement as \u201cgood news\u201d and said the US would lead a new effort to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a joint statement with France, the U.S. said it would work \u201cto ensure this arrangement is fully implemented\u201d and lead international efforts for \u201ccapacity-building\u201d of the Lebanese army.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Wednesday, Biden posted on X: \u201cOver the coming days, the United States will make another push with Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Israel, and others to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza with the hostages released and an end to the war without Hamas in power.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yemen\u2019s Houthis<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Abdul Salam Salah, a spokesman for the group, praised the \u201csteadfastness of Hezbollah and the dear Lebanese people in the face of the brutal Israeli aggression\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He added that the \u201cIsraeli enemy would not have submitted and accepted the ceasefire had it not clashed with a solid resistance that did not break in the face of the treacherous assassination crimes\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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