Israel and Hezbollah agree ceasefire, US says, as more Lebanon strikes reported

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Israel and Hezbollah agree ceasefire, US says, as more Lebanon strikes reported11 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleHenry MooreandTom Bateman ,State department correspondentReutersIsraeli air strikes overnight into Friday killed 47 people, Lebanon saidIsrael and Hezbollah have agreed a ceasefire, a US official says, following intense Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon that the government said killed 47 people. The agreement followed concerns that continued clashes, which also saw Hezbollah kill four Israeli soldiers in Lebanon, would undermine the deal to end the war between the US and Iran. An Israeli military spokesman said that the military would "continue to remove immediate threats" while Hezbollah's secretary general, Sheikh Naim Qassem, said: "The project to eliminate Hezbollah has failed.

"However rescue officials in the city of Nabatieh told the there had been at least 12 air strikes since the ceasefire began at 16:00 local time (13:00 GMT). The deadly escalation is another sign that Donald Trump is not necessarily in control of the fate of his deal with Iran. The Memorandum Of Understanding (MoU) declared a ceasefire in Lebanon as well as between the US and Iran.

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But that has not been the reality on the ground, which has led Tehran to accuse Trump of failing to rein Israel. Trump himself has given fuel to this argument in an unprecedented set of accusations against his ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, suggesting he has been senselessly killing civilians in his fight against Hezbollah. The overnight flare-up in southern Lebanon poses more problems.

While the White House insists a ceasefire is in place, Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir responded to the deaths of Israeli soldiers by saying "Lebanon must burn... For every tear shed by an Israeli mother, 1,000 Lebanese mothers must weep". In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused Israel of wanting "permanent war" and insisted that any breach of the commitments set out in the memorandum of understanding "will be attributed to the US".

Trump's deal relies on each side reining in hardliners and showing restraint - and there are few signs of that. Netanyahu has been under domestic pressure to continue military operations against Hezbollah, while the Iran-backed group has said it would continue its attacks as long as Israel's invasion of southern Lebanon persists. Following the latest ceasefire announcement, Israeli military spokesperson Effie Defrin said Israel will "continue to remove immediate threats, respond to Hezbollah's violations, and do whatever is necessary to protect our civilians".

Hezbollah is yet to confirm the ceasefire itself but its secretary general, Sheikh Naim Qassem, on Friday declared: "The project to eliminate Hezbollah has failed, and the Israelis will withdraw from every last inch of our land.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.