10-day ceasefire in Lebanon begins after intensified Hezbollah strikes wound 3 Israelis

Peloni:  The limit placed on Israel’s freedom of action in the current ceasefire as described below is a serious setback for Israel, which was not hampered by such limitations in the previous ceasefire.  Furthermore, American assurances of Hezbollah’s disarmament have consistently failed to materialize, most recently after billions of US dollars were spent in the fool-hearted scam to fund the LAF for such an enterprise when the LAF’s complicity in providing political and logistical cover for Hezbollah has been well known.  So, are we looking at the latest rendition of America providing another ruse by which Hezbollah is disarmed on paper alone, while limiting Israel’s freedom of action, so as to further advantage US efforts to end the current wars without removing the terrorist actors who initiated these wars?  While looking back at the model proposed in Gaza, there remains a good deal on which to be concerned regarding what might be achieved when relying upon the US to develop peaceful strategies in lieu of allowing decisive victories over Israel’s adversaries on the battlefield.  Peace is not the absence of war, but rather what comes from successfully and decisively winning a war.  Can Trump shortcut the latter by pursuing the former?  This is the real question which arises following Trump’s announcement of this latest ceasefire, and the answer seems somewhat altogether too discouraging at the moment.  While placing this re-used and less viable band-aid on the decades old Iranian campaign against Israel from Lebanon, resolution for the Hezbollah debacle unfortunately now lies dependent upon Washington’s efforts in negotiating with Iran after Trump provided Iran with the linkage between the situation in Lebanon and that in Iran, thus highlighting and reinforcing the immaterial nature of any possible negotiations between Israel and Lebanon.

IDF troops stay inside 10km-deep ‘buffer zone’ in southern Lebanon, retain right to strike ‘planned, imminent or ongoing attacks’

All Israel News Staff | Published: April 17, 2026

Israel Defense Forces, Israel Defense Forces, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0

The 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday went into effect at midnight, after Hezbollah wounded at least three Israelis in rocket attacks shortly before the deadline.

Rocket barrages seriously wounded two Israelis in the city of Karmiel, while another man suffered moderate wounds in Nahariya.

In a statement shortly before midnight, the Israel Defense Forces said it destroyed the launchers used by Hezbollah, adding that it struck over 380 Hezbollah targets over the preceding 24 hours.

“The IDF is on high alert in defense and will operate in accordance with directives from the political echelon,” the IDF said, before a tense quiet settled over northern Israel.

“I hope Hezbollah acts nicely and well during this important period of time,” Trump wrote overnight on Truth Social. “It will be an GREAT moment for them if they do. No more killing. Must finally have PEACE!”

In the morning, Lebanese media reported that, contrary to instructions from the Lebanese and Israeli militaries, thousands of southern Lebanon’s residents began returning to their homes, causing large traffic jams on the highways leading south.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Israeli military remained in control of a roughly 10 km strip along the border. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated, “This is a security buffer that starts at the sea and continues to Mount Dov and the foothills of Mt. Hermon, up to the Syrian border. This is a security strip ten kilometers deep, which is much stronger, more intense, more continuous, and more solid than what we had previously. That is where we are and we are not leaving.”

Netanyahu continued, “This allows us, first and foremost, to block the danger of an invasion into our communities, and secondly, it allows us to prevent direct anti-tank fire into the communities. The residents are now protected from these two dangers.”

“Of course, there are still problems; They still have rockets left. We will have to deal with that as well, as part of the progress toward a security agreement and a continuous peace treaty,” he acknowledged.

According to IDF sources cited by Army Radio, the IDF supports the ceasefire, with senior officials saying, “There is an opportunity here… We want the Lebanese state to take responsibility for the situation and prepare a plan to disarm Hezbollah.”

The Israeli military believes that the current operation has reached its objectives, while broader goals – including the disarmament of Hezbollah by the IDF – would require occupying the entire country, which is not considered to be feasible. “The ceasefire is the right move. Whether it will prove to be good – we’ll know in a year,” a security official said.

Military officials noted that maintaining freedom of action remains a key priority for the IDF.

According to the ceasefire terms published by the U.S. State Department: “Israel shall preserve its right to take all necessary measures in self-defense, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks,” while refraining from “any offensive military operations against Lebanese targets.”

However, David Daoud, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), noted that the wording of the new ceasefire grants Israel less freedom of action than the 2024 ceasefire, which noted that Israel’s “inherent right of self-defense” wasn’t limited only to “planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks.”

“Coupled with Lebanon’s explicitly stated obligation to begin disarming Hezbollah and dismantling its infrastructure, this allowed Israel to continue operating in Lebanon in response to 1) Hezbollah’s regeneration or rearmament and 2) Lebanese inaction – the combination of which constituted a serious violation of the ceasefire agreement and entitled Israel to employ self-help measures,“ he wrote on ?.

Many Israelis, including representatives of the northern residents and opposition leaders, have expressed concerns about a repeat of the last ceasefire, when the Lebanese government publicly praised its own efforts to disarm Hezbollah before the terror group again launched strikes from the same areas the government claimed had been brought under control.

Notably, the 10-day ceasefire agreement doesn’t include a robust statement that Beirut intends to disarm Hezbollah, but only claims it will “take meaningful steps to prevent Hezbollah… from carrying out any attacks, operations, or hostile activities against Israeli targets,” and that it understands that activities by “non-state armed groups,” meaning Hezbollah, “must be curtailed, such that the only forces authorized to bear arms in Lebanon” will be the official security forces.

To allay Israeli fears, the U.S. intends to be actively involved in the disarmament of Hezbollah this time, a senior Israeli official told i24 News, without providing details.

“Donald Trump wants this to happen, so this time the U.S. will be much more involved,” the official said, adding that, due to the substantial blows suffered by Hezbollah over the past weeks, this is “a much better situation overall” compared to November 2024.

“Forces are deployed from Naqoura to Syria and they are not leaving. In addition, Iran is in a much weaker position in terms of its ability to help rebuild the organization,” he said.

“For now, this is a ten-day ceasefire. If it is to continue, the burden of proof lies with Lebanon and Hezbollah.”

For its part, Hezbollah has already clarified that it is only interested in stopping the Israeli military strikes without making any concessions in return.

A senior Hezbollah official reportedly told NBC News that its leaders are satisfied with the ceasefire, but have no intention of disarming. “The war has only strengthened our determination,” he declared.