Residents in northern Israel voiced cautious optimism on Thursday (June 4) after a ceasefire agreement was reached between Israel and Lebanon, expressing hope for a return to normal life while waiting to see whether the truce would hold.

The new U.S.-mediated ceasefire raised hopes on Thursday for progress toward ending the wider U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, though there was still uncertainty about how and when it would be implemented.

Hezbollah rejected the ceasefire plan agreed, as Israel kept up strikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday and said it wouldn't be withdrawing from the south.

Tehran has made a ceasefire in Lebanon a condition for any peace deal with Washington, and has suggested in recent days that it could intervene directly in support of its proxy Hezbollah if Israel keeps up or escalates attacks there.

The commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, Esmail Qaani, said the minimum demand would be for Israel to withdraw to positions held before the start of the war, Iranian state media reported.

Hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel reignited on March 2, when the group opened fire in support of Tehran as it came under U.S.-Israeli attack. The war has continued despite several ceasefires declared from Washington since April.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

1. VIEW OF ISRAEL - LEBANON BORDER AREA

2. VARIOUS OF DAMAGE IN SOUTHERN LEBANON

3. SMOKE BILLOWING IN SOUTHERN LEBANON

4. ISRAELI RESIDENT OF NORTHERN ISRAEL, DEVORAH, WALKING

5. DEVORAH CHECKING MAILBOX

6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ISRAELI RESIDENT OF NORTHERN ISRAEL, DEVORAH, SAYING:

"Well I am glad that we are diplomatically in touch with the Lebanese but time will tell."

7. ISRAELI MILITARY VEHICLES DRIVING AT BORDER AREA

8. VARIOUS OF WALL AT BORDER AREA

9. ISRAELI MILITARY VEHICLES DRIVING AT BORDER AREA

10. (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) ISRAELI RESIDENT OF NORTHERN ISRAEL, RONI DAHAN, SAYING:

"The issue is that Trump achieved so many ceasefire deals in the past period that it does not say anything to us anymore, the ceasefire is not actually seen or heard in our area, there still are sounds of booms, sirens and alerts, despite everything, so it does not say much to us right now. We are also eager to return to the routine like the rest of the country. Yesterday I was in Tel Aviv and everything was as thriving, happy and joyful, cafes and everything running. But in our area everything is closed, there is nothing much going on and there is no traffic and people want to go back to the routine, to live the normal life."

11. SMOKE BILLOWING

12. VIEW OF LEBANON AS SEEN FROM ISRAEL

13. WALL AT BORDER AREA

14. VARIOUS OF BEAUFORT CASTLE