The US has brokered a ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, US President Joe Biden has announced.
The deal will bring an end to cross-border strikes and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon, where they have been operating since October.
The latest fighting between Hezbollah and Israel kicked off when Hezbollah began attacking Israel on October 8, 2023, a day after Hamas's attack on southern Israel.
That escalated into all-out war in September, with massive Israeli air strikes in Lebanon and an Israeli ground invasion of the country's south.
What does the ceasefire mean?
The ceasefire was scheduled to take effect from 4am local time on Wednesday, or 12pm AEDT.
From then, there will be a 60-day transition as Israeli troops and Hezbollah soldiers both leave the area north of the Israeli border and south of the Litani River.
Speaking prior to the ceasefire being announced, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the agreement would mean tens of thousands of displaced people on both sides of the border could return to their homes.
This had been a key aim of Israel's conflict with Hezbollah.
At least 24 people were killed by Israeli strikes across the country, according to local authorities, as Israel expanded its military campaign ahead of the ceasefire beginning at 4am local time.
Hezbollah has fired thousands of rockets into Israeli military bases, cities and towns, including some 250 projectiles on Sunday.
Lebanon's Health Ministry said more than 3,700 people in Lebanon had been killed since Israel launched its invasion two months ago, with 1.2 million people displaced from their homes.
At least 75 Israelis have been killed in the conflict according to Israeli tallies, including about 50 Israeli soldiers killed in the ground offensive in Lebanon.
What are the terms of the ceasefire?
Mr Biden says the ceasefire is "designed to be a permanent cessation to hostilities".
The text and full terms of the deal have not been publicly released, but the key points are:
- Halting rocket fire, air strikes and other military actions from both sides
- Israeli troops withdrawing from the area south of the Litani River in Lebanon and north of the Israeli border
- Hezbollah withdrawing from the same area and agreeing to not rebuild infrastructure
Hezbollah has not finalised its agreement in a public statement yet, but Mr Biden says there is consensus on the ceasefire.
"After reviewing the agreement signed by the enemy government, we will see if there is a match between what we stated and what was agreed upon by the Lebanese officials," Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chair of Hezbollah's political council, told the Al Jazeera news network.
"We want an end to the aggression, of course, but not at the expense of the sovereignty of the state."
"Any violation of [Lebanon's] sovereignty is refused."
Among the issues that may remain is an Israeli demand to reserve the right to act should Hezbollah or Israel violate their obligations under the emerging deal.
How could this affect a ceasefire in Gaza?
While the ceasefire will bring an end to conflict across the Israeli-Lebanese border, there is no sign of a let-up in the war raging in the Gaza Strip.
Fighting between Hamas and the Israel Defense Forces has continued since Hamas launched last year's October 7 attack, killing 1,200 Israelis and taking 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Since then, nearly 45,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's military response, Palestinian health authorities say.
The conflict has caused a humanitarian crisis in the enclave, with fears of a famine, and the UN has described Israel's conduct as showing "characteristics of genocide".
A ceasefire has seemed unlikely, with Qatar withdrawing as a mediator between the two sides earlier this month.
During Mr Biden's speech announcing the Lebanon deal, he said his next focus would be achieving a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the remaining Israeli hostages.
The US "will make another push with Türkiye, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and others to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza," he said.
Mr Biden said the US "remained prepared to conclude a set of historic deals with Saudi Arabia, to include a security pact and economic assurances, together with a credible pathway for establishing a Palestinian state and the full … normalisation of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel".
Old enemies, new conflict
This is far from the first time Israel and Hezbollah have clashed.
The two sides were involved in a bitter two-month conflict in 2006 that ended with a UN-brokered ceasefire.
Under Security Council Resolution 1701, Israel agreed to withdraw its forces from Lebanon while Hezbollah moved its forces back to the Litani River, in southern Lebanon, 30 kilometres north of the border with Israel.
The US and France have sought to use that resolution as the framework for ending the current conflict.
On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would enforce the agreement and "respond forcefully to any violation".
"In full coordination with the United States, we retain complete military freedom of action. Should Hezbollah violate the agreement or attempt to rearm, we will strike decisively," he said.
A senior US official, briefing reporters on condition of anonymity, said the US and France would join a mechanism with the UNIFIL peacekeeping force that would work with Lebanon's army to deter potential violations of the ceasefire.
