LAST UPDATE | 2 hrs ago

A 10-DAY CEASEFIRE declared earlier today between Lebanon and Israel has been welcomed by diplomats and humanitarian organisations, although Israel and Hezbollah were exchanging fire just hours before it was due to come into effect. 

US President Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire this afternoon following US-mediated talks between the Israeli and Lebanese governments, which did not include Hezbollah, the group with whom Israel has been fighting. 

The Israeli military said this evening it was striking Hezbollah fighters in response to rocket attacks aimed at northern Israel.

Israeli rescue services said one person was seriously injured in the north of the country after shelling from Lebanon.

In the Karmiel area, rescuers “are providing medical treatment on site to a 25-year-old man in serious condition, who was injured by interception debris”, Israel’s emergency service, Magen David Adom, said in a statement. Civil defence authorities had earlier issued a rocket alert for the area.

Hezbollah had earlier told Lebanese people displaced by the Israeli invasion and bombing campaign should not return to their homes because Israel had a record of breaking ceasefire agreements. 

“In the face of a treacherous enemy accustomed to violating covenants and agreements, we call on you to be patient and to refrain from heading to the targeted areas in the south, the Beqaa, and Beirut’s southern suburbs, until the situation becomes completely clear,” the movement said in a statement.

The Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Committee, in a statement, also advised people to wait “until you are certain that a ceasefire has been officially declared and has come into effect” and urged people to “wait until morning” before taking to the roads.

The ceasefire announcement came after what Trump described as “excellent” conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

“These two Leaders have agreed that in order to achieve PEACE between their Countries, they will formally begin a 10 Day CEASEFIRE at 5 P.M. EST,” Trump said on his Truth Social network.

Trump said yesterday that Aoun and Netanyahu were due to speak today, but there was no confirmation that any such call had happened.

Trump said he had directed US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and top US military officer Dan Caine to work with the two countries “to achieve a Lasting PEACE.”

“It has been my Honor to solve 9 Wars across the World, and this will be my 10th, so let’s, GET IT DONE!” said Trump, who launched the war on Iran alongside Israel on 28 February. 

In retaliation, Hezbollah, which is closely supported by the Iranian government, fired rockets at Israel. 

Since then, Israel has invaded and occupied much of southern Lebanon and launched strikes across the country, which have killed more than 2,000 people and displaced more than one million.

Israel has been demolishing entire villages in southern Lebanon while also destroying bridges that provide access to that part of the country. 

Reaction to truce agreement 

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei “welcomed the announcement of the ceasefire in Lebanon and noted that the cessation of the war in Lebanon was part of the ceasefire understanding between Iran and the United States, mediated by Pakistan”, state news agency IRNA posted on Telegram.

Saudi Arabia also welcomed the agreement. 

 ”The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed the Kingdom’s welcome of the announcement by… Trump of a ceasefire in brotherly Lebanon. It also commended the significant positive role played by President Joseph Aoun of the Lebanese Republic, the Lebanese government headed by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri,” state news agency SPA reported.

Ireland’s minister for foreign affairs, Helen McEntee, commended the efforts of those who made the agreement possible. 

Ireland has been consistent in calling for dialogue and for a ceasefire that includes Lebanon. This moment presents an important opportunity to build on that engagement and to work towards a lasting and meaningful peace in Lebanon and the wider region, one that brings security and stability for the people of both Lebanon and Israel.

“It is now essential that all sides fully respect the terms of the ceasefire and commit to turning this into a permanent end to hostilities,” she said in a statment this evening. 

“I also hope this development helps build momentum for further talks between the US and Iran, leading to an agreement that can deliver a durable ceasefire and lasting peace across the region.”

McEntee added that Ireland’s priority is” the safety and security of our Defence Forces personnel and all peacekeepers” stationed in southern Lebanon with the Unifiul peacekeeping force. 

“I remain in constant contact with the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, and international colleagues, and will continue to monitor the situation closely,” she said. 

ActionAid Ireland CEO Karol Balfe said Lebanon should never have been excluded from the Iran-US ceasefire that came into effect last week. 

“This ceasefire must be used as a first step towards a sustained cessation of hostilities, alongside independent investigations into potential war crimes and meaningful steps towards accountability that deliver real justice for the Lebanese people.

Balfe added: “Across Lebanon over the last year – before this latest war even began – communities have faced ongoing airstrikes, territorial incursions and the destruction of homes and critical infrastructure by Israeli forces. 

“This can’t just be about a short-term pause in attacks, especially one lasting only ten days. It must be about accountability.”

Oxfam’s Lebanon director, Bachir Ayoub, said the ceasefire must lead to a permanent cessation of fighting. 

“Powerful states must learn lessons and finally end Israel’s decades of impunity from international law violations,” he said.

“The collapse of the world’s systems and order, and aiding and abetting Israel’s genocide in Gaza enabled this disastrous, yet inevitable, escalation which has been catastrophic for millions of people.”

Gaza’s civil defence agency said today that Israeli fire killed four people, including one child, in different locations across the Palestinian territory.

With reporting from AFP