Israel and Lebanon have reached an accord to enact a ceasefire ending the clashes, the Trump administration announced, while Washington works to clear a major obstacle toward a wider agreement halting the conflict with Iran.

The Israel-Lebanon ceasefire hinges on Hezbollah fully stopping its operations and withdrawing all fighters from zones south of the Litani River in southern Lebanon, according to a joint statement from the US, Lebanon and Israel issued by the State Department following talks in Washington.

Although the deal was reached between the Lebanese and Israeli governments, the actual fighting has involved Hezbollah and Israel; Lebanon's army has not participated in the hostilities. Still, Lebanese officials have pursued negotiations with Israel independently of Hezbollah to strengthen government authority and disarm the militant group.

Even after the shared pledge for a ceasefire, Israel launched several drone strikes near Nabatieh in southern Lebanon on Thursday morning.

The two nations, lacking formal diplomatic ties, also consented to establish pilot zones where Lebanese armed forces would assume sole authority over the land, barring any non-state actors.

A Hezbollah representative informed AFP on Tuesday that the group would reject any limited ceasefire and had not joined the discussions.

Privately, however, the group has indicated readiness for a full ceasefire, meaning it would cease firing provided Israel also halts strikes. It remains uncertain how Hezbollah might react to the Thursday morning bombings. The group has further stated it would not revert to prewar conditions, under which Israel conducted frequent strikes on Lebanon despite an earlier truce.

The joint statement omitted any reference to whether or when Israeli forces might pull back from southern Lebanon, where Israel currently holds at least 608 square kilometers along the border.

A previous truce intended to stop the Lebanon fighting was set for 17 April, yet clashes persisted as each side cited alleged breaches by the other.

The Washington meetings marked the fourth round of direct discussions between Lebanese and Israeli diplomats since hostilities resumed on 2 March, when Hezbollah launched renewed assaults on Israel in backing of Iran. The statement noted that talks would proceed to finalize the ceasefire and manage its staged rollout.

Wednesday's progress followed ongoing cross-border incidents earlier that day, with Hezbollah reporting strikes on Israeli positions and Israeli attacks killing at least nine in southern Lebanon.

Efforts for a Lebanon ceasefire have seen repeated setbacks, with the 17 April arrangement understood to protect only the capital from assault.

In essence, the joint statement mirrors a 2024 ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel under which Hezbollah consented to retreat south of the Litani River to allow Lebanese forces to take position. Complete disarmament of Hezbollah was never realized, and Israel conducted over 10,000 strikes breaching the truce in the following 15 months.

Earlier Wednesday, President Donald Trump expressed a desire to separate Lebanon talks from those on the Iran war. Tehran, however, maintains the conflicts are connected and threatened this week to pause peace negotiations with the US in response to Israel's Lebanon offensive, risking the collapse of Washington talks.

Tehran has declared it will not forsake its ally Hezbollah during US negotiations, even as the Lebanese government insists it will not permit Tehran to speak for it. Hezbollah's future in Lebanon is seen as tied to outcomes in Iran talks and possibly a larger political arrangement.

Trump stated on Monday that he had prevented an imminent Israeli attack on Beirut and had conferred with Netanyahu and Hezbollah representatives, who consented that all firing would cease.

Trump acknowledged reports of calling Netanyahu crazy, noting he felt somewhat unsettled that Israel's Hezbollah campaign in Lebanon was hindering US-led peace efforts with Iran.

Analysts observe that Israel seeks to maximize damage to Hezbollah ahead of any potential Iran peace deal that could curtail its operations. Netanyahu told CNBC on Wednesday that he and Trump share the aim of disarming Hezbollah to secure peace between Israel and Lebanon.

The US president faces pressure to settle the Iran war as climbing energy costs and economic instability endanger Republican chances in midterm elections and disrupt worldwide trade.

On Wednesday, the US House of Representatives issued a sharp rebuke to Trump by supporting a measure requiring him to obtain congressional approval for the war or withdraw US troops. The vote's effect was largely symbolic, as it is unclear if the resolution holds legal weight even if passed by the Senate.

Among Wednesday's Israeli strikes was one near the public hospital in Tebnine, shortly after attacks beside the Hiram and Jabal Amel hospitals in Tyre. The strike near Jabal Amel on Monday killed four and wounded 127, mostly medical personnel.

The state-run National News Agency reported strikes on over 20 southern sites, some following Israeli military warnings for residents in several villages to leave.

Lebanon's health ministry stated that Israel struck an ambulance in the south, killing two paramedics from the Risala Scouts Association, a civilian health service linked to Hezbollah ally Amal. Human rights organizations have noted that assaults on health workers constitute war crimes irrespective of political ties.

Elsewhere on Wednesday, Iran attacked Kuwait, killing one, damaging the airport and injuring dozens, while US forces struck near the Strait of Hormuz.

The Kuwait and strait attacks represent the latest challenges to a fragile ceasefire among the US, Israel and Iran, pushing oil prices up nearly 2 percent as the strait stays largely shut more than three months after the war began.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed they did not target Kuwait's airport and attributed the damage to errant US interceptor missiles, per Iranian state media. The US military rejected that account, asserting Iranian drones deliberately struck the airport.

With Reuters and Agence France-Presse