Key facts
- Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire following intense hostilities.
- The truce was reportedly brokered by Qatar, the United States, and Iran.
- The ceasefire aims to prevent escalation in Lebanon and preserve a US-Iran interim agreement.
- At least 47 people were killed and 97 wounded in Lebanon due to Israeli attacks.
- US President Trump urged Israel to accept the ceasefire.
- Planned US-Iran talks in Switzerland were cancelled due to the fighting.
Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group have agreed to a ceasefire following intense hostilities that threatened to unravel an interim agreement between the United States and Iran. Officials stated the truce began Friday afternoon, though neither side immediately confirmed it. The agreement was reportedly brokered by Qatar, the United States, and Iran, aiming to prevent escalation in Lebanon and preserve the broader US-Iran deal, which has already reopened the Strait of Hormuz.
The ceasefire followed a heavy exchange of fire that killed at least 47 people in Lebanon and wounded 97 others, according to the Lebanese health ministry. Israeli artillery fire was still heard along the border after the reported deadline. Hezbollah had been firing rockets and drones at northern Israel, while Israel had seized large swathes of southern Lebanon.
US President Trump stated he urged Israel to accept the ceasefire. The oil market reacted to the escalating clashes, with Brent crude climbing back above $80 on Friday after collapsing from more than $100 per barrel in May to below $77 earlier this week, as traders reassessed regional stability.
US-Iran talks in Switzerland, planned for Friday, were cancelled due to the flare-up in fighting, creating uncertainty about the timing of negotiations vital to restoring peace in the Middle East. The market's recent selloff was built on the assumption that Middle Eastern supply disruptions would soon become a thing of the past, but the ongoing tensions highlight that the region remains a work in progress.