Israel, Hezbollah exchange fire after Trump announces ceasefire push

Israel carried out strikes in southern Lebanon and Hezbollah fired into northern Israel on Tuesday, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump announced an agreement aimed at halting attacks between the two sides.

Neither Israel nor Hezbollah has publicly confirmed accepting the arrangement, and fresh exchanges of fire quickly cast doubt on whether hostilities would stop.

Did Israel and Hezbollah agree to stop attacks?

Lebanese authorities said Hezbollah had accepted a U.S.-backed proposal under which the group would stop attacks on Israel and the Israeli military would halt strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs.

However, Hezbollah has not officially confirmed the agreement, and both sides continued military actions after Trump's announcement.

According to Lebanon's authorities, Hezbollah would no longer fire into Israel under the agreement, while the Israeli military would cease striking Beirut's southern suburbs, a long-standing stronghold of the group.

The latest developments followed a sharp escalation in violence. Israeli troops carried out their deepest incursion into Lebanon in two decades, launched heavy bombardments and threatened strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs.

As the violence threatened efforts to secure a broader ceasefire in the conflict involving the United States, Iran and regional allies, residents expressed concern that hopes for stability could quickly fade.

The Israeli military said its air defenses intercepted two projectiles fired from Lebanon into northern Israel. The launches came only hours after Trump announced the proposed halt in hostilities.

Lebanon's National News Agency later reported fresh Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon. Earlier, Lebanon's embassy in Washington said Hezbollah had accepted a U.S. proposal for a "mutual cessation of attacks."

What did Trump and Netanyahu say about the ceasefire?

Lebanon's presidency said attacks on Beirut's southern suburbs would stop and that Hezbollah would refrain from targeting Israel. It added that authorities would work to extend the ceasefire across all Lebanese territory.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he told Trump that Israel would continue striking targets in Beirut if Hezbollah did not stop attacking Israeli towns and citizens.

Trump continued to press for a ceasefire, writing on Truth Social that Israel and Hezbollah would hopefully stop fighting "for ETERNITY!" He later said troops heading toward Beirut had already been turned back following what he described as a productive conversation with Netanyahu.

According to Axios, Trump called Netanyahu "f****** crazy" and accused him of endangering efforts to preserve peace talks with Iran.

Trump also said Hezbollah representatives had agreed to stop firing if Israel halted its attacks. Hezbollah has not publicly confirmed those remarks.

Hezbollah entered the conflict on March 2 by launching rockets into Israel after the killing of Iran's supreme leader. Tehran has since insisted that Lebanon be included in any broader agreement involving Washington.

Iran's Tasnim news agency reported that Tehran was no longer participating in talks with the United States because of Israel's military offensive.

Why are attacks continuing despite ceasefire efforts?

The announcements came ahead of a fourth round of direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, hosted by the United States on Tuesday and Wednesday. Military delegations also held security discussions last week.

Warnings of possible strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs triggered traffic jams as residents fled the densely populated area, according to AFP images from the scene.

A truce intended to stop fighting in Lebanon began on April 17, but it has not held. Israel and Hezbollah regularly accuse each other of violating the agreement and justify retaliatory attacks by citing alleged breaches.

Lebanon's health ministry says Israeli attacks since March 2 have killed at least 3,433 people. Israel's military said two soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon, bringing its military death toll since early March to 27.

What role could international peacekeepers play?

Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, urged all parties to respect the cessation of hostilities.

In a report seen by AFP, Guterres said peacekeepers would likely need to remain in Lebanon after the current mission's mandate expires at the end of the year.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said there was no justification for Israeli troops to remain deep inside Lebanese territory.

Israeli troops on Sunday seized Beaufort Castle, also known as Qalaat al-Chakif, a strategic site overlooking southern Lebanon. The military previously used the fortress as a base during its occupation of southern Lebanon, which ended in 2000.