A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect at midnight Friday following an announcement by United States President Donald Trump, who said he had secured the agreement after calls with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. The truce came hours after continued cross-border attacks, including rocket fire that seriously wounded a 17-year-old girl and a 25-year-old motorcyclist in northern Israel. The Israel Defense Forces said it struck hundreds of Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon in the final hours before the ceasefire began.

The agreement followed days of intensive diplomacy led by Washington, including direct talks between Israeli and Lebanese envoys in the United States. The ceasefire allows Israel to act against planned or imminent attacks but bars offensive operations against Lebanese targets. It also calls on Lebanon to take meaningful steps to prevent Hezbollah and other armed groups from attacking Israel, while opening the door to further negotiations on border demarcation and long-term security arrangements.

Netanyahu described the truce as a historic opportunity to pursue peace with Lebanon, emphasizing that Israeli troops would remain in a buffer zone in southern Lebanon and that disarming Hezbollah remains a core demand. The United States plans to host both leaders at the White House in the coming weeks for what would be the first meaningful talks between the two countries in decades.