On 27 November 2024, a ceasefire agreement was signed by Israel, Lebanon, and five mediating countries, including the United States. Hezbollah attacked Israel on 8 October 2023, leading to a year of cross-border fighting, and on 1 October 2024, Israel invaded Lebanon. The agreement mandates a 60-day halt to hostilities, during which Israel must withdraw its forces from Southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah must withdraw its forces to north of the Litani River. A five-country monitoring panel, led by the United States, would oversee the implementation, with 5,000 Lebanese troops deployed to ensure compliance. The agreement does not preclude either Israel or Lebanon from acting in self-defense, but Israeli and Lebanese officials disagreed with what that entails. Since the ceasefire went into effect, Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health claimed Israeli attacks on Lebanon killed at least 83 civilians, while Israel said dozens of Hezbollah fighters were killed in the midst of ceasefire violations. On 26 January 2025, the U.S. extended the agreement until 18 February. Once this deadline lapsed, Israel withdrew from populated areas in southern Lebanon but declared that it would temporarily remain in .
In November 2024, US envoy Amos Hochstein met with Lebanese and Israeli leaders to negotiate the ceasefire deal. In Lebanon, he met with Lebanese Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri, who had Hezbollah's support to negotiate. On 20 November, Hezbollah secretary-general Naim Qassem approved the deal. France was added as a mediator to the deal after it walked back on its statement that it would arrest Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes. After some delays from the Israeli side, Hochstein threatened to withdraw from negotiations unless Israel moved forward with the deal. On 26 November, Israel's security cabinet endorsed the agreement with a 10–1 vote. The ceasefire was hailed as a significant accomplishment for the Biden administration, with Joe Biden stating that the agreement was "designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities".
The 2006 Lebanon war ended with UN Resolution 1701, which called for Israel to withdraw from Lebanon and for Hezbollah to disarm and withdraw north of the Litani River. However, it was violated by both sides, as Hezbollah continued to accumulate arms and failed to withdraw north and the Israeli military continued to violate Lebanese airspace in the absence of hostilities. Due to economic crises, lack of resources, and historic weakness compared to both Hezbollah and Israel, numerous concerns have been raised regarding the Lebanese Armed Forces' ability to enforce both Resolution 1701 and the 2024 ceasefire.
As of January 2026, Israel has been accused of at least 2,036 ceasefire violations, allegedly killing at least 15 people, including a Lebanese Army officer and several civilians. Israel said its attacks targeted Hezbollah fighters south of the Litani or imminent threats to its troops. Hezbollah has also violated the ceasefire on numerous instances by moving its fighters south of the Litani, and has fired on Israel Defense Forces at least once without causing casualties.
On 2 March 2026, the ceasefire effectively broke down amid the nascent 2026 Iran war, with Hezbollah launching strikes on Israel in retaliation for the latter's assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Background
Shortly after the onset of the Gaza war in October 2023, Hezbollah joined the conflict, citing solidarity with Palestinians. On 8 October 2023, Hezbollah started firing guided rockets and artillery shells at Israeli positions in the Shebaa Farms, which it said was in solidarity with Palestinians following the October 7 attacks 2023, and the beginning of Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip. Israel retaliated by launching drone strikes and artillery shells at Hezbollah positions. Israel also carried out airstrikes throughout Lebanon and in Syria. This quickly escalated into regular cross-border military exchanges between Hezbollah and Israel, impacting northern Israel, southern Lebanon and the Golan Heights. Hezbollah said it aimed to pressure Israel by forcing it to fight on two fronts. Hezbollah has offered an immediate ceasefire should a ceasefire also happen in Gaza.
In September 2024, Israel carried out two waves of electronic device attacks targeting Hezbollah's communication systems and assassinated the group's leading figures, including killing secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah during a bombing on 27 September which destroyed Hezbollah's main headquarters in Beirut. On 1 October, the Israeli military began a full-scale invasion of southern Lebanon although it had been conducting limited ground operations for some time. Israeli operations led to the significant dismantling of Hezbollah's military infrastructure in southern Lebanon and the destruction of a large portion of its missile stockpile.
In northern Israel, the conflict forced approximately 96,000 individuals to leave their homes, while in Lebanon, over 1.4 million individuals have been displaced. Hezbollah stated it would not stop attacks against Israel until it stops its military operations in Gaza; Israel said its attacks would continue until its citizens could return safely to the north.
Negotiation process On 5 January 2024, then Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah called for negotiations on the demarcation of the border between Lebanon and Israel (also concerning the disputed Shebaa Farms territory). But he predicated these negotiations on a ceasefire in Gaza. In July 2024, Nasrallah again promised a ceasefire on the Lebanese border should a ceasefire also happen in Gaza. In June 2024, US envoy Amos Hochstein travelled to Lebanon to meet Lebanese Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri. He also met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel. Hochstein also made a similar visit in August. A Lebanese analyst stated at the time that Hezbollah had not expected the war in Gaza "to continue for so long".
On 25 September, the United States, European Union, Qatar and several other countries called for a 21-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. Hezbollah leader Nasrallah expressed his agreement with this ceasefire proposal to the Lebanese Foreign Minister, but this was not communicated to the US State Department. On 27 September, Israel assassinated Nasrallah. A 60-day ceasefire was proposed in late October.
In November 2024, US envoy Amos Hochstein met with Lebanese and Israeli leaders to negotiate the ceasefire deal. In Lebanon, he met with Lebanese Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri, who had Hezbollah's support to negotiate. On 20 November, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said his organization had "provided feedback" on the proposed deal. France was added as a mediator to the deal after it walked back on its statement that it would arrest Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes. After some delays from the Israeli side, Hochstein threatened to withdraw from negotiations unless Israel moved forward with the deal. On 27 November, Israel's security cabinet endorsed the agreement with a 10–1 vote. The ceasefire was hailed as a significant accomplishment for the Biden Administration, with US President Joe Biden stating that the agreement was "designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities."
Agreement On 26 November 2024, Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu announced the transfer of a ceasefire agreement to the Security Cabinet of Israel. The cabinet voted 10–1 in favor of approving the deal, with the sole opponent being National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
The ceasefire agreement includes 13 clauses related to cessation of hostilities and responsibilities of the Lebanese and Israeli forces, whose content is summarized as:
"Israel and Lebanon will implement a cessation of hostilities beginning at 04:00 hours (IST/EET) on 27 November 2024." "From the specified time, Lebanon will prevent Hezbollah and other armed groups from conducting operations against Israel. Israel will not carry out offensive military operations against Lebanese targets." "Both nations recognize the importance of UNSCR 1701 for achieving lasting peace and security and commit to its full implementation without violation." "Both nations retain the right of self-defense, consistent with international law." The Lebanese army (LAF) and the Lebanese security forces will be the only armed groups in the Southern Litani area, as outlined in the LAF Deployment Plan." "The Government of Lebanon will regulate and control the sale, supply, and production of arms and related materiel within Lebanon to prevent the rearmament of non-state groups." "Lebanon's official military and security forces will monitor and enforce against unauthorized arms and related materiel, dismantle unauthorized facilities, and confiscate unauthorized arms, starting with the Southern Litani Area." "The United States and France will work to enable the deployment of 10,000 LAF soldiers to southern Lebanon and support the LAF's capabilities." "Israel and Lebanon will reformulate and enhance the tripartite mechanism, chaired by the US and including France, to monitor and verify the enforcement of these commitments." "Both nations will report alleged violations to the tripartite mechanism and UNIFIL, with procedures developed for consultation and enforcement. "Lebanon will deploy its official military and security forces to all borders and border crossings, setting up roadblocks and checkpoints along the Southern Litani Area." Israel will withdraw its forces south of the Blue Line in a phased manner, coordinated with the LAF's deployment to the Southern Litani Area, within 60 days." "The United States, with UN partnership, will facilitate indirect negotiations between Israel and Lebanon to resolve remaining disputed points along the Blue Line, consistent with UNSCR 1701."
According to Lebanese reports, a Lebanese government source reported that if no escalations or breaches of the agreement occur by 10 a.m. local time on 27 November 2024, the ceasefire agreement will go into effect. Prime Minister of Lebanon Najib Mikati issued strong support for the agreement and urged the international community to help implement the agreement immediately in order to "halt Israeli aggression".
Violations Israel has been accused of violating the ceasefire by the Lebanese government, by Hezbollah and by France. On 2 December, France reported that Israel had violated the ceasefire 52 times. Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed 3 Lebanese civilians since the ceasefire went into effect. Israel has accused Hezbollah of violating the ceasefire and announced its forces would remain in southern Lebanon beyond the 60-day deadline due to the Lebanese army not fully deploying and in some places helping Hezbollah. As of 28 November, there were no reported instances of Hezbollah firing at Israel since the ceasefire took effect.
By November 2025, the Lebanese health ministry and the United Nations reported that more than 330 people, including 127 civilians, were killed and about 945 more were injured by Israeli forces since the ceasefire began. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) also reported that Israel has violated the ceasefire more than 10,000 times since November 2024.
Nevertheless, as of 27 December 2024, media reports that the ceasefire has largely continued to hold.
First violation Conflicting claims have arisen on what the first violation of the ceasefire was. As per Israel, the first violation occurred on 27 November at 9:30 AM, at Kfar Kila, where "Hezbollah operatives reportedly entered the town of Kfar Kila, which is only a few kilometers from the border," including a local commander. Conflicting reports also arose on whether the four were arrested or driven away. In the same incident, Israeli artillery fired 5 shells towards the Fatima border gate near Khiyam.