Israeli troops have withdrawn from Al-Khiam in southern Lebanon, and the city has been taken over by the Lebanese army in accordance with the ceasefire agreement. "An important first step," stated the head of U.

The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants has begun as a region on edge wonders whether it will hold

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.

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

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?

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.

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.