V004-LIBANO CELEBRACIONES TREGUA

Cars honked and people celebrated in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon on Thursday (April 17), with crowds cheering, singing and making victory signs as a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel went into effect.

“The South is bright by its people. May God have mercy on the martyrs who made us return,” said Ras al-Ain village resident Mohamad Qassim.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement he had agreed to a 10-day pause and said there was an opportunity to strike a historic deal with Lebanon, though it was unclear whether a truce could hold between Israel and Hezbollah.

Netanyahu said he had not agreed to Hezbollah's demand to withdraw forces from southern Lebanon back to the international border between the two countries and would maintain an extensive "security zone" up to the Syrian border.

If the Lebanon ceasefire clears the way for a broader peace deal with Iran, it would be a significant win for the Trump administration, which has struggled so far to reopen the strategically important Strait of Hormuz and block Iran's path to a nuclear weapon.

Israeli attacks have killed more than 2,100 people in Lebanon since March 2 and forced more than 1.2 million to flee, Lebanese authorities say. Hezbollah attacks have killed two ⁠Israeli civilians, while 13 Israeli soldiers have died in Lebanon since March 2, Israel says.

(Production: Ali Hanker, Bernat Parera)