Peace back in Beirut; Israel, Hezbollah agree to ceasefire in Lebanon

TEHRAN: Following the temporary cessation of the US-Iran war, Lebanon is about to welcome peace. After heavy clashes that lasted until Friday afternoon, Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire. The attacks stopped at 6.30 pm Indian time on Friday with the intervention of the US and Qatar.

The US and Qatar intervened after Iran took the position that it would not negotiate with the US unless the Israeli attack on Lebanon stopped. 47 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon from Friday morning to afternoon. More than 80 Hezbollah targets were destroyed. Four Israeli soldiers were also killed in Hezbollah's counterattack.

Israel's action violated the interim agreement's non-aggression clause in Lebanon. The first round of talks that were supposed to be held as part of the Iran-US interim peace agreement in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, were cancelled on Friday as Israel's aggression in Lebanon continued.

US Vice President J.D. Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf withdrew from the talks. A new date for the talks will be announced soon after a ceasefire agreement is reached in Lebanon. The US and Iran signed the interim peace agreement on Thursday. This began a 60-day period to reach a final agreement. Only if an agreement is reached on Iran's nuclear program within this period can there be a permanent solution to the war.

With the opening of the Strait of Hormuz and the lifting of the US naval blockade on Iran, shipping traffic between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman became more active. On Thursday alone, 25 ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz.