The United States has told Iran that Israel will not escalate its attacks in Lebanon as the administration of President Donald Trump seeks to begin serious nuclear talks with Iran, a source familiar with the matter told CNN today, Focus reports.
''Hezbollah has violated the ceasefire. Israel has agreed to cancel it, which was communicated to the Iranians, and it is up to Hezbollah to stop, the source said, responding to a question about whether the United States would provide guarantees to Iran that Israel would not further escalate its attacks in Lebanon.
It is not clear how the Trump administration communicated the information to the Iranians or whether it would be enough to continue the planned technical talks.
Israel and the Lebanese Shiite group "Hezbollah" agreed to a ceasefire that took effect at 4:00 p.m. (Lebanese and Bulgarian) time, a senior U.S. official told Reuters.
"Hezbollah" and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire," the US official said, noting that negotiators from the US and Qatar had brokered the deal with help from Iran.
"According to our information, following the exchange of fire earlier today, Israel and "Hezbollah" are now in a ceasefire agreement," the official said.
A senior Israeli official and two Hezbollah sources also confirmed the agreement.
"If "Hezbollah" does not attack us, for us this is not the time for war," the Israeli official said. He added that Israeli forces would remain in southern Lebanon.
But nearly an hour after the ceasefire agreement was scheduled to start, a Reuters journalist in northern Israel reported that Israeli strikes could still be seen across the border in Lebanon, with a plume of smoke rising in one area.
The Lebanese Health Ministry said Israeli airstrikes had killed at least 47 people in Lebanon since midnight. Israel said four of its soldiers had been killed in southern Lebanon in one of the deadliest attacks by "Hezbollah" since the start of the war.
The number of wounded since midnight until this afternoon is 97, reported Agence France-Presse, citing the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
The agreement between the United States and Iran requires the United States, Iran and their allies to declare an immediate and permanent cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including in Lebanon. Violence has increased during the week after initially easing after the announcement of the agreement.
The MP from "Hezbollah" Hassan Fadlallah told Reuters earlier that Iran had informed the group that talks with Washington could not continue without a comprehensive ceasefire.
The US official told Reuters that the truce was brokered by US and Qatari mediators with Iran's help.
Israel, which was not consulted in the talks that led to the US-Iran memorandum of understanding this week, has reacted sharply to the apparent demand to end its campaign in Lebanon, where it entered after Hezbollah began carrying out cross-border strikes in solidarity with Tehran on March 2.
The Israeli official said Israel retained the freedom to act against emerging threats, as well as threats to its forces and territory.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier vowed that Hezbollah would "pay a very heavy price" for its actions. for the killing of the four Israeli soldiers.
Israeli officials expressed dissatisfaction with the US-Iran agreement, saying it did not sufficiently address Israel's concerns about Iran's nuclear program.
Israel said it had carried out strikes against Hezbollah fighters and infrastructure in several areas in response to repeated ceasefire violations by the group.
Hezbollah denied violating the ceasefire and accused Israel of repeatedly violating the terms, including those of the US-Iran agreement. In a statement, the group accused Israeli forces of carrying out attacks that killed civilians, destroyed homes and infrastructure, and that the ground operation was ongoing.
Heavy fighting overnight was concentrated in an area north of the Litani River known as Ali al-Taher Hill, a strategic hill for Hezbollah, where Israeli forces were trying to advance, a senior Lebanese security source said. The group said its fighters ambushed Israeli forces advancing near the hill, destroyed three Merkava tanks with guided missiles and fired rockets and artillery at soldiers. The group said it later attacked Israeli forces trying to evacuate dead and wounded.