Khaberni - A person was seriously injured in northern Israel by gunfire originating from Lebanon, less than two hours before the ceasefire took effect, according to the Israeli ambulance service.
The Israeli ambulance service stated that its teams are "providing treatment to a man approximately 25 years old in critical condition, who was apparently wounded by shrapnel during an interception operation". Sirens were activated to warn of rockets.
The Israeli army announced on Thursday that it had bombed Hezbollah's missile launchpads, and in a statement, the army said that it attacked “the rocket launchpads from which Hezbollah had fired projectiles towards northern towns just a short time ago”.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a ten-day ceasefire starting from 5 PM Eastern Standard Time (21:00 GMT), indicating a temporary halt to the Israeli conflict with the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, which flared up alongside the war with Iran.
A U.S. official stated that the ceasefire will begin today, Thursday.
The Israeli campaign in Lebanon emerged as a major obstacle to reaching a peace agreement that Trump is pursuing to end the war on Iran that he launched with Israel in late February, which has disrupted global energy trade, driven up oil prices, and threatens further economic fallout.
U.S. and Iranian officials are considering a second round of direct talks in Islamabad in the coming days, which may pave the way for an agreement on other contentious issues, including Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry had earlier stated that peace in Lebanon is essential for the talks it is mediating to end the war between Washington and Tehran.
Trump said he had great conversations with both Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu stated in a video message that he agreed to a ten-day ceasefire and that there is a chance for a historic agreement with Lebanon.
However, there are doubts about the viability of the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, the bitter rivals. Netanyahu clarified in his video message that he did not agree to Hezbollah's demand to withdraw forces deployed in southern Lebanon to the international border between the countries, and that he would maintain a "security zone" extending to the border with Syria.
He added that Israel's main demand still stands, which is the dismantling of Hezbollah.
In Hezbollah's first comment after Trump's announcement, the group said that any ceasefire should not allow Israel freedom of movement inside Lebanon.
In a statement from its media office, the group stated that the presence of Israeli forces on Lebanese territory gives Lebanon and its people “the right to resistance”.
