{"id":63034,"date":"2026-04-17T10:43:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T10:43:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/63034\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T10:43:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T10:43:10","slug":"lebanon-ceasefire-begins-as-israel-maintains-illegal-occupation-in-south","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/63034\/","title":{"rendered":"Lebanon ceasefire begins as Israel maintains illegal occupation in south"},"content":{"rendered":"

A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon took effect at midnight, halting six weeks of fighting that killed more than 2,100 people in Lebanon and displaced over one million. Civilians began returning to damaged towns as world leaders urged all sides to respect the truce and prepare for negotiations.<\/p>\n

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Traffic built along roads linking Beirut to southern Lebanon as families travelled back to their homes. Vehicles lined the coastal highway towards Sidon and Tyre. Many crossed damaged bridges as engineers worked to restore access. Some residents returned despite warnings from the Lebanese army about ongoing risks.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n

The ceasefire followed direct contacts between Israeli and Lebanese officials, with mediation led by the United States. Donald Trump described the agreement as a \u201chistoric day\u201d and said a broader deal with Iran was \u201cvery close\u201d. He indicated talks with Tehran might resume<\/a> in Islamabad within days.<\/p>\n

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said troops would remain in what he calls a \u201csecurity zone\u201d in southern Lebanon. \u201cWe are not leaving,\u201d he said in a statement, citing security concerns along the border.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Israel has previously announced it has plans to invade and illegally occupy parts of southern Lebanon, describing it as a \u201cdefensive buffer\u201d. Defence Minister Israel Katz said forces would control areas up to the Litani River.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich\u00a0had called for the effective annexation of southern Lebanon, stating that Israel needs to extend its borders. \u201cThe Litani River must become our new border with the State of Lebanon\u2014just like the buffer line in Gaza,\u201d he said in a speech last month.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Hezbollah signalled it would observe the ceasefire but warned it remained ready to respond. In a statement, the group said its fighters would keep their \u201cfingers on the trigger\u201d if Israel violated the terms.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Reports from the ground pointed to early breaches. The Lebanese army said Israeli forces carried out shelling in several areas after the ceasefire began. Local media also reported an attack on an ambulance in southern Lebanon.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

French President Emmanuel Macron said the truce \u201cmay already be undermined by the continuation of military operations\u201d. He called for protection of civilians and urged Israel to respect Lebanese sovereignty while pressing Hezbollah to disarm.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The United Nations Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres welcomed the ceasefire and urged full compliance. He said the halt in fighting should \u201cpave the way for negotiations\u201d and a long-term solution.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Israeli aggression displaced around one in five people in Lebanon. Entire districts in Beirut\u2019s southern suburbs and towns in the south suffered damage. Local officials reported dozens of buildings destroyed in areas such as Haret Hreik.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In Israel, reaction to the ceasefire was mixed. Local leaders in northern communities criticised the agreement. David Azulay, a council head in Metula, said residents felt \u201cbetrayed once again\u201d, according to Israeli media reports.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The ceasefire is a part of a wider diplomatic effort to end the illegal US-Israeli war against Iran. Tehran welcomed the pause in Lebanon and described it as part of a broader understanding with Washington. Iranian officials said regional security issues remain interconnected.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Economic pressure from the war continues. The International Monetary Fund cut its global growth forecast<\/a> for 2026 to 3.1 percent, citing disruption caused by the war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices fell below $100 per barrel following the ceasefire.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon remains limited to 10 days, with the option of extension if talks progress.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

HT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon took effect at midnight, halting six weeks of fighting that killed…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":63035,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[87],"tags":[34674,34672,158,113,28219,34671,34673,17702,21364,34675],"class_list":{"0":"post-63034","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-helsinki","8":"tag-displaced-civilians-lebanon","9":"tag-donald-trump-iran-deal","10":"tag-finland","11":"tag-helsinki","12":"tag-hezbollah","13":"tag-israel-lebanon-ceasefire","14":"tag-lebanon-conflict","15":"tag-middle-east-war","16":"tag-strait-of-hormuz-crisis","17":"tag-un-guterres-ceasefire"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@dk\/116419638588906822","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63034","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63034"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63034\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63035"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63034"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63034"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63034"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}