Lebanese president says Israel ceasefire could begin within 24 hours

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Thursday that implementation of a ceasefire agreement with Israel could begin within 24 hours once final approval is secured from all parties, describing Washington negotiations held a day earlier as "very difficult."

Washington negotiations

Speaking to reporters in Beirut, Aoun said negotiations at the State Department on Wednesday were suspended at one point after Lebanese delegation head Simon Karam walked out, with talks resuming only following direct intervention by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. "We are awaiting the responses of all concerned parties and guarantees of compliance," Aoun said, adding that he had been in communication with international and internal parties since 2 a.m. to consolidate the agreement.

Pilot zones and army control

The comments came a day after Lebanon and Israel agreed to renew their fragile ceasefire and establish "pilot zones" that would place the Lebanese army in exclusive territorial control while excluding all non-state actors from those areas. The agreement emerged from a fourth round of US-mediated talks and was announced in a joint statement released by the State Department.

Death toll and timeline

The US-sponsored talks follow weeks of near-daily Israeli strikes on Lebanon that have killed more than 3,500 people since March 2, despite a ceasefire that took effect on April 17 and was later extended until early July. The latest round marks the fourth attempt by Washington to broker a durable agreement between the parties.