10-Day Ceasefire Begins In Lebanon

Beirut: A 10-day ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump and agreed on by Lebanon and Israel appeared to be holding in Lebanon early Friday, potentially boosting efforts to extend a ceasefire between Iran, the United States and Israel.

Iran’s foreign ministry welcomed the truce, calling it part of the earlier two-week ceasefire deal struck between the Islamic republic and the US to pause the Middle East war.

It was unclear whether a lasting deal would be reached between the US and Iran before the ceasefire ends next week, but the pause in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah could be an indication that some progress has been made. An end to Israel’s war with Hezbollah was a key demand of Iranian negotiators.

Israel has not been fighting with Lebanon itself, but rather with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group inside Lebanon, which said in a statement that “any ceasefire must be comprehensive across all Lebanese territory and must not allow the Israeli enemy any freedom of movement.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he agreed to the ceasefire “to advance” peace efforts with Lebanon, but said Israeli troops would not withdraw.

Pakistan’s army chief met Thursday with Iran’s parliament speaker as part of international efforts to press for an extension to the ceasefire that has paused almost seven weeks of war. Mediators are pushing for a compromise on three main sticking points: Iran’s nuclear program, the Strait of Hormuz and compensation for wartime damages, according to a regional official involved in mediation efforts.

Reopening the strait is a key demand by the US and the international community as a global energy crisis worsens daily because of the key oil route’s closure. The leaders of France and the UK will gather dozens of countries on Friday to push forward plans to reopen the strait, although the US will not be included. The fighting has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, more than 2,100 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Thirteen U.S. service members have also been killed.