A U.S.-backed ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah was set to take effect Friday afternoon, as Washington tried to salvage a broader regional framework with Iran after talks scheduled for Switzerland were abruptly postponed.
\nThe Israel\u2013Hezbollah ceasefire was set to take effect 9 a.m. Eastern Time\/4 p.m. local time, both a senior U.S. and an Israeli official told Fox News Digital, but whether the ceasefire formally took effect remains disputed. \u00a0
\nThe White House has not publicly commented on whether the ceasefire has formally taken effect.\u00a0
\nA Hezbollah spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the group would abide by the ceasefire if Israel does, but \u201creserves the right to respond\u201d to any violation. The spokesperson said Hezbollah did not yet view the ceasefire as having taken effect, claiming Israel was still carrying out strikes in southern Lebanon more than an hour after it was supposed to begin.
\nISRAEL MOVES TOWARDS CEASEFIRE DEAL WITH HEZBOLLAH: REPORTS
\nPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a video after the 4 p.m. local start time that he said showed Israel Defense Forces striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. It is unclear when those reported strikes took place, and Fox News Digital could not independently verify their timing.
\n\u201cAs I instructed \u2013 the IDF struck powerfully 150 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon and eliminated dozens of terrorists,\u201d he wrote on X.\u00a0
\nIDF spokesperson Effie Defrin said Hezbollah had killed four Israeli soldiers in overnight strikes early Friday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still, an Israeli official said Israel intends to honor the ceasefire agreement.
\n\u201cIf Hezbollah doesn\u2019t shoot, we won\u2019t shoot. If they shoot \u2014 we will respond,\u201d the official told Fox News Digital.
\nThe agreement came after negotiations between the U.S. and Iran scheduled to take place this weekend in Switzerland were abruptly postponed. The White House has not publicly provided a reason for the delay.
\nTrump has expressed increasing frustration with Netanyahu over the conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon.\u00a0
\n\u201cBibi has to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon,\u201d Trump said to reporters Tuesday at the G7 conference in France. \u201cToo many people are being killed, and you don\u2019t have to knock down an apartment house every time you\u2019re looking for somebody, because there are a lot of people in those apartment houses, and they\u2019re not all Hezbollah, that I can tell you.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m not saying they shouldn\u2019t protect themselves,\u201d he added Wednesday during separate remarks to reporters. \u201cI\u2019m saying when two drones are shot into the desert and drop harmlessly, you don\u2019t have to knock down buildings in Beirut. They could behave better, and frankly, they could do a better job.\u201d
\nHezbollah is an Iran-backed Shiite militant group and political movement based in Lebanon that the U.S. has designated as a foreign terrorist organization. Its conflict with Israel dates back decades, but the latest fighting has centered on Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks from Lebanon and Israeli strikes aimed at pushing the group back from the border and protecting northern Israeli communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the Vice President said at his press conference, the plans for the upcoming technical talks have not been finalized, and the U.S. delegation has been prepared to depart at the first available opportunity,\u201d a White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital. \u201cBut the logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable. As of now the Vice President is not departing tonight. We will let you know as soon as we have a concrete update about next steps.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0
\nThe Iranian foreign ministry on Friday denied reports claiming Iran had once again closed the Strait of Hormuz.\u00a0
\n\u201cThe Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have taken the necessary measures to ensure the safe passage of commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding on the End of the War dated 18 June 1405, and shipping is underway in this route,\u201d foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said in a statement posted to Telegram.
\nA separate Iranian official told Fox News Digital Friday that traffic was moving \u201cslowly\u201d through the strait due to mine-clearing operations.\u00a0
\nHORMUZ CHOKE POINT PERSISTS AS IRAN HALTS OIL TRAFFIC DESPITE TRUMP CEASEFIRE
\nU.S. officials have described the memorandum signed Wednesday as a 60-day framework for negotiations toward a final agreement largely focused on Iran\u2019s nuclear program.
\nThey have said any U.S. force withdrawal from areas near Iran would be tied to a final deal, not required immediately under the initial agreement.<\/p>\n
The agreement also declared the \u201cimmediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon,\u201d according to U.S. officials.
\nU.S. officials have said the memorandum also includes immediate oil sanctions waivers for Iran, an end to Iranian threats to the Strait of Hormuz and a process for lifting the U.S. blockade, and future talks over Iran\u2019s nuclear program, including the fate of its enriched uranium stockpile.
\nFox News Digital reached out to the Pentagon, Israeli Prime Minister\u2019s Office and Iranian Foreign Ministry for additional comment and had not received responses by publication.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"