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Israel and Lebanon ·

Israel–Lebanon cessation of hostilities, November 2024

A cessation-of-hostilities arrangement announced by the United States and France on behalf of Israel and Lebanon; it is not a peace treaty, Hezbollah is not a party to it, and Israel and Lebanon have no peace treaty.1

In 30 seconds

At 04:00 on 27 November 2024 a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Lebanon took effect.1 The arrangement set an Israeli withdrawal within 60 days and the deployment of the Lebanese army in the south.1 It was only partly implemented, and in March 2026 a new war broke out.5

Where it stands today

As of October 2026 the 2024 arrangement was partly implemented and did not hold: fighting resumed on 2 March 2026, and a new ceasefire was announced on 16 April 2026 and then extended.58 According to Security Council Report hostilities continued after that too, and the Israeli army holds a strip up to about 10 kilometres deep in southern Lebanon.812

In one sentence

To stop the war between Israel and Hezbollah and leave only the forces of the Lebanese state in southern Lebanon.

The challenge

The arrangement was meant to end a war between Israel and Hezbollah and to bring about implementation of Resolution 1701 of 2006, central parts of which had never been carried out.12

Israel wanted Hezbollah to stop operating from southern Lebanon and its own right of self-defence preserved; Lebanon wanted the strikes to stop and the Israeli army to leave its territory.1

The road there

  1. The cessation of hostilities takes effect at 04:00.1
  2. The extended deadline for the Israeli withdrawal passes; Israel pulls out of most of the area but stays in five positions near the Blue Line.3
  3. Naqoura: the first direct civilian-level meeting in decades, held within the monitoring Mechanism. Taking part were Simon Karam for Lebanon, Uri Resnick for Israel and US envoy Morgan Ortagus.2
  4. The Lebanese army announces it has completed the first phase of its plan south of the Litani, outside the areas held by Israel.4
  5. After American and Israeli strikes on Iran, Hezbollah fires at Israel; Israel responds with extensive strikes and a ground operation. The Lebanese government bans all military activity by Hezbollah.5
  6. Washington: direct talks between the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the United States, facilitated by the US.5
  7. The United States announces a 10-day ceasefire; it is extended by three weeks on 23 April and again on 15 May.6578
  8. Israel, Lebanon and the United States sign the Trilateral Framework.9

What was agreed

  • Israel stops offensive military operations on Lebanese territory; Lebanon prevents Hezbollah and any other armed group from operating against Israel.1
  • Both sides commit to full implementation of Resolution 1701.1
  • Both countries keep the right of self-defence under international law.1
  • Only official Lebanese forces are to be present south of the Litani; unauthorised military infrastructure is to be dismantled and illegal weapons confiscated.1
  • The United States and France will support the deployment of 10,000 Lebanese army soldiers in the south.1
  • The Israeli army withdraws south of the Blue Line within 60 days, in parallel with the Lebanese army's deployment.1
  • A monitoring Mechanism chaired by the United States and including France, hosted by the UN; the United States will facilitate indirect negotiations on the disputed points along the Blue Line.1

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The geography

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Schematic map of Israel and its neighbours with line typesSYRIALEBANONGolan HeightsDamascusBeirut

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Layers · Legend
  • International boundary agreed in a peace treaty
  • Treaty line with Jordan, “without prejudice to the status” of the territory beyond it
  • 1949 armistice line (“Green Line”) — not an agreed final border
  • “Blue Line” — UN line of withdrawal (2000), not a border
  • Ceasefire / disengagement line with Syria (1974)
  • Other international boundary
  • West Bank and Gaza Strip: permanent status not agreed
  • Golan Heights: held by Israel since 1967; annexation not recognised by the UN
  • UN area of separation (UNDOF)

Classification follows the original research as of 7 Oct 2026. This schematic map is not a legal boundary map or a live update.

  • International boundary agreed in a peace treaty
  • Treaty line with Jordan, “without prejudice to the status” of the territory beyond it
  • 1949 armistice line (“Green Line”) — not an agreed final border
  • “Blue Line” — UN line of withdrawal (2000), not a border
  • Ceasefire / disengagement line with Syria (1974)
  • Other international boundary
  • West Bank and Gaza Strip: permanent status not agreed
  • Golan Heights: held by Israel since 1967; annexation not recognised by the UN
  • UN area of separation (UNDOF)

Schematic map. Lines are approximate and are not a legal determination. Data: Natural Earth (public domain), 1:10m scale; line classification and place names by this site. Lines as of October 2026. Peace map

The hard decisions

  • Hezbollah, which fought Israel, is not a party to the arrangement: the commitment to prevent its activity rests on the Lebanese state.1
  • Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz said on 16 April 2025 that troops would stay indefinitely in areas of Lebanon he described as security zones; Lebanon demands an Israeli withdrawal.35
  • At the December 2025 meeting Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stressed that these were not peace negotiations and not a step towards normalization; the Israeli Prime Minister's Office described the meeting as a first attempt to build a basis for relations and economic cooperation.2

Where accounts differ

According to The Israeli government
The strikes and positions in Lebanon are directed against Hezbollah, which has not been disarmed, and rest on the right of self-defence that the arrangement preserves.45
According to The Lebanese government
Israel must meet its commitments, stop the strikes and withdraw from Lebanese territory.510
According to Hezbollah
The organisation rejects the Lebanese government's direct talks with Israel and says it will not disarm as long as Israeli forces remain on Lebanese territory.510

What was carried out

  • The Israeli army withdrew from most of the area by mid-February 2025.34
  • The Lebanese army deployed south of the Litani and dismantled military infrastructure; in January 2026 it announced completion of the first phase of its plan.34
  • The US-chaired monitoring Mechanism operated, and in December 2025 civilian representatives took part in it for the first time.32

What was not

  • Israel did not complete the withdrawal: it stayed in five positions and two buffer zones near the Blue Line and continued near-daily strikes, which it said targeted Hezbollah members and facilities.4
  • Rocket fire from Lebanon towards Israel was also recorded, on 22 and 28 March 2025.3
  • The disarmament of Hezbollah was not completed, and on 2 March 2026 the organisation resumed firing at Israel.45

What changed in real life

  • According to the UN human rights office, by 15 April 2025 at least 71 civilians had been killed in Lebanon by Israeli forces since the arrangement began; about 92,000 people were then still displaced in Lebanon.3
  • In the war that began in March 2026: according to a 25 June 2026 update by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), citing Lebanese government figures, 4,230 people had been killed in Lebanon; according to Israeli figures of 14 June, 4 Israeli civilians and 28 soldiers had been killed. More than a million people were displaced from their homes in Lebanon.115

What remains open

  • The dispute over the order of steps is unresolved: Lebanon stresses an end to the fighting and an Israeli withdrawal, and Israel insists on the disarmament of Hezbollah.5
  • What comes next is being discussed under the framework document of June 2026, whose implementation is also stalled; according to a report in The New Arab that has not been officially confirmed, another round of talks is expected on 20 October 2026.10
  • UNIFIL, which hosts the monitoring Mechanism, is due to end its operations on 31 December 2026.312

Sources

  1. Primary PA-X Peace Agreements Database (University of Edinburgh) · 26 November 2024
    Announcement of a Cessation of Hostilities and Related Commitments on Enhanced Security Arrangements and Towards the Implementation of UNSCR 1701
  2. Press News On Air (Akashvani, India) · 2025
    Lebanon and Israel hold first direct civilian talks in decades
  3. Research Security Council Report · 2025
    Lebanon, May 2025 Monthly Forecast
  4. Research Security Council Report · 2026
    Lebanon, March 2026 Monthly Forecast
  5. Research Security Council Report · 2026
    Lebanon, May 2026 Monthly Forecast
  6. Primary U.S. Department of State · 16 April 2026
    Ten-Day Cessation of Hostilities to Enable Peace Negotiations Between Israel and Lebanon not opened from the build environment
  7. Research Council on Foreign Relations · 24 April 2026
    Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire Extended for Three Weeks
  8. Research Security Council Report (What's in Blue) · 15 July 2026
    Lebanon: Consultations on the Implementation of Resolution 1701
  9. Press The Times of Israel · 26 June 2026
    Full text of Israel-Lebanon framework deal that includes slight IDF pullback
  10. Press The New Arab · 1 October 2026
    Lebanon-Israel talks to resume in Florida on 20 October: sources
  11. Research Security Council Report · 2026
    Lebanon, July 2026 Monthly Forecast
  12. Press The National · 14 September 2026
    Lebanon urges UN to reconsider 'premature' Unifil withdrawal