The Times of Israel is liveblogging Wednesday’s events as they unfold.
IDF tells civilians not to return to southern Lebanon villages, will update when safe to return Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, warns Lebanese civilians to not yet return to villages in southern Lebanon as a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah takes effect. “With the ceasefire agreement coming into effect, and in accordance with its provisions, the IDF continues to be prepared in its positions in southern Lebanon,” Adraee says. “Do not move towards the villages that the IDF evacuated or towards IDF forces in the area. For your protection and the safety of your families, avoid reaching the area,” he says. “We will inform you of the safe date to return to your homes,” the spokesman adds.
Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire takes effect, bringing a halt to fighting after almost 14 months A US-brokered ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah comes into effect at 4 a.m. local time, bringing a halt to almost 14 months of Hezbollah-initiated fighting across the northern border. The agreement, which was not published ahead of the deal coming into effect, reportedly provides for a 60-day transition period during which the IDF will withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon; the Lebanese Army will deploy some 5,000 troops to south of the Litani River, including at 33 posts along the border with Israel; Hezbollah forces will leave southern Lebanon, and its military infrastructure will be dismantled. The US is also reportedly providing a side letter specifying Israel’s rights to respond to Hezbollah violations of the ceasefire. Hezbollah began firing into Israel the day after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught in southern Israel, in support of its fellow Iran-backed terror group, forcing the displacement of some 60,000 residents of northern Israel. Israel’s military responses intensified two months ago, with Israel killing much of Hezbollah’s leadership and destroying much but not all of its missile, rocket and drone capabilities.
Syrian Red Crescent says volunteer killed in alleged Israeli airstrike on border with Lebanon Syria’s Red Crescent says that a volunteer was killed sand another was injured in alleged Israeli airstrikes on two locations along the Lebanon-Syria border on Tuesday night. The medical organization says the volunteers were “performing their humanitarian duty of rescuing the wounded early on Wednesday.” The reported strike is said by the Syrian Red Crescent to have damaged several ambulance and work points. According to Syrian state media, some 18 people were injured in the strike on the Arida border crossing, while an unspecified number of casualties were reported in the alleged Israeli strike on the Dabousieh border crossing with Lebanon. There is no immediate comment from the IDF.
US CENTCOM says it struck ‘Iranian-aligned militia weapons storage’ in Syria The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) carried out an airstrike a short while ago against an “Iranian-aligned militia weapons storage facility in Syria,” it says in a brief statement, adding that the strike was a response to an attack on US forces in the area the previous day. It says that the purpose of the strike was to “degrade their [Iranian-aligned forces] ability to plan and launch future attacks on US and Coalition forces who are in the region.” CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael Kurilla says that the US “will not tolerate any attacks on our personnel and coalition partners.” “We are committed to taking all necessary actions to ensure their protection,” he adds. The statement adds that the impact of the strike is not immediately clear, but that there have been no reports of civilian casualties.
US official says there may be ‘window of opportunity’ for Israel-Saudi normalization Asked to explain US President Joe Biden’s optimism about a potential Israel-Saudi normalization agreement following the announcement of a ceasefire in Lebanon, a senior administration official tells reporters that conversations US officials have held in the past 24 hours left them with the belief that there “is a window of opportunity here — if we can get some changes in Gaza.” “The political and geopolitical stars of both are aligned, and we’re going to see what we can do over the next 50 or so days,” the US official says, insisting that Washington is clear-eyed about its prospects and will keep the incoming administration informed on its efforts. The senior administration official is then asked why he’s able to maintain this optimistic assessment given repeated assertions by Israeli cabinet members that they will never accept the establishment of a Palestinian state, which is Riyadh’s condition for a deal with Israel. Reflecting on his career in high-stakes negotiations, the official says he has repeatedly heard leaders enter them with declarations that include words such as “never” and “always.” “They’ll say ‘We will never do this, and ‘We will always insist on that,’ but that doesn’t necessarily hold, because when you have that kind of a position you don’t reach an agreement, so I don’t get too excited when I hear those kinds of statements,” he says.
Report: US ‘side letter’ to Israel pledges to share intelligence on Hezbollah activity after ceasefire, cooperate against Iranian threat Israel’s Channel 12 news outlet shares details from a side letter that it says the US is providing to Israel as part of the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal, in which it affirms and details Israel’s right to defend itself against renewed threats from the Iran-backed terror group in Lebanon. According to the report, the US will commit to providing Israel with intelligence information pertaining to violations of the terms of the ceasefire deal, and in particular, regarding any indication that Hezbollah is attempting to infiltrate the ranks of the Lebanese Armed Forces, which will be deployed to southern Lebanon. The letter also reiterates the US’s commitment to cooperating with Israel to prevent Iran from continuing its destabilizing operations in Lebanon, including the smuggling of Iranian weapons to Hezbollah, the report adds. The US also confirms in the letter that Israel has the right to act in response to threats from inside Lebanon, “in accordance with international law,” Channel 12 reports. Regarding the possibility that Hezbollah will violate the terms of the ceasefire, the letter is reported to note that should the terms of the agreement be broken in southern Lebanon, from which Hezbollah is required to withdraw, Israel will reserve the right to act at any time. Beyond southern Lebanon, it will reportedly only be permitted to act in response to Hezbollah violating the ceasefire if the Lebanese Armed Forces are unable or unwilling to deal with the violations itself. Should Israel feel it is required to take action in response to threats inside Lebanon, regardless of where, it will be required to notify the United States wherever possible, Channel 12 says the letter adds. Finally, the report says, the letter confirms Israel’s right to conduct reconnaissance flights over Lebanon, for intelligence purposes, so long as they do not break the sound barrier.