A top U.S. military officer visited Beirut on Wednesday to monitor the withdrawal of the first Israeli troops from Lebanon under a ceasefire agreement reached last month, the U.S. Central Command said.

As tit-for-tat strikes strain a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah less than a week since it went into effect, Israel’s defense minister on Tuesday threatened to directly target the Lebanese state should the agreement fall apart.

A count by Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor found that Israel had already committed 18 violations by the second day of the ceasefire. In one attack on Friday, the group said, Israeli soldiers fired on Lebanese people during a funeral procession that had gotten the necessary permits from UN and Lebanese military officials.

Under the terms of the deal, Israel will gradually withdraw from Lebanon, while Hezbollah isn’t allowed to rebuild near the border. But will the ceasefire hold?

International pressure is on Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Najib Mikati, Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, to maintain the peace

Israel and Lebanon-based Hezbollah terrorists began a ceasefire Wednesday in a major step toward ending nearly 14 months of fighting. The 60-day ceasefire took effect Wednesday at 4 a.m. Tel Aviv time. It interrupts a war that Hezbollah started on October 8, 2023, the day after Hamas in Gaza attacked communities in southern Israel.

CENTCOM commander General Michael Kurilla visited Beirut on Wednesday to monitor the withdrawal of the first Israeli troops from Lebanon under a ceasefire agreement reached last month, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.