Israel and Hezbollah agree ceasefire, US says, as more Lebanon strikes reported

The overnight flare-up in southern Lebanon poses more problems. While the White House insists a ceasefire is in place, Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir responded to the deaths of Israeli soldiers by saying "Lebanon must burn... For every tear shed by an Israeli mother, 1,000 Lebanese mothers must weep". In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused Israel of wanting "permanent war" and insisted that any breach of the commitments set out in the memorandum of understanding "will be attributed to the US".Trump's deal relies on each side reining in hardliners and showing restraint - and there are few signs of that.Netanyahu has been under domestic pressure to continue military operations against Hezbollah, while the Iran-backed group has said it would continue its attacks as long as Israel's invasion of southern Lebanon persists.Following the latest ceasefire announcement, Israeli military spokesperson Effie Defrin said Israel would "continue to remove immediate threats, respond to Hezbollah's violations, and do whatever is necessary to protect our civilians".Hezbollah's secretary general, Sheikh Naim Qassem, on Friday declared: "The project to eliminate Hezbollah has failed, and the Israelis will withdraw from every last inch of our land."Clashes erupted when Hezbollah said it had ambushed an Israeli group in southern Lebanon, destroying three tanks with guided missiles, and targeting troops with rocket and artillery fire. A battalion commander was among the four troops killed.