Ceasefire at midnight - and Beirut fires into the sky

Beirut - Shortly before midnight local time, sirens were still sounding in northern Israeli towns. The Israeli army reported it was intercepting Hezbollah rocket launchers. A 25 year old man was seriously injured in Karmiel, likely by debris from an intercepted projectile. Then, at midnight, the ceasefire came into effect.

In Beirut, the city responded with gunfire into the air. Tracer rounds crossed the night sky, fireworks mixed in, anti tank rocket fire echoed through the streets. More than one million Lebanese have been displaced during this war. Hezbollah and the Lebanese army both warned not to return immediately - the situation was not yet clear enough. And despite the warnings, displaced families began to move. Toward the south. Home, or what is left of it.

The ceasefire lasts ten days. It can be extended if progress in the talks becomes visible and Lebanon effectively enforces its sovereignty, as the US State Department explains. Israel may defend itself at any time against planned or ongoing attacks. Hezbollah has already announced it will respond to any Israeli attack. Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon calls the ceasefire difficult - because Hezbollah, after the announcement, said the ongoing Israeli occupation gives Lebanon the right to resist. Netanyahu has offered to travel to Washington to continue the negotiations.

How it came about: The ambassadors of both countries met Tuesday in Washington. After that, Trump spoke Wednesday evening with Netanyahu, who agreed under certain conditions. Marco Rubio called Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who agreed. Trump then spoke himself with Aoun and again with Netanyahu. The State Department simultaneously drafted a joint document. UN Secretary General António Guterres praised the United States for its mediation and called on all sides to uphold the ceasefire.

While Beirut celebrated, Trump spoke to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House before flying to Las Vegas. He claimed Iran had agreed to return enriched uranium - the material that lies deep beneath Iranian nuclear facilities after American bombing strikes with B 2 bombers. None of the mediators, none of the parties involved has confirmed this statement. The White House did not respond to inquiries. Trump has previously made claims about Iran’s nuclear program that proved inaccurate. Asked what he was still waiting for, he said it was very complicated. Then he said he did not think they were waiting. It could happen quickly.

Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said before the UN General Assembly that despite deep mistrust toward the United States, his country entered the negotiations in good faith and remains cautiously optimistic. If Washington chooses a reasonable approach and does not make demands that contradict international law, something meaningful could emerge. The spokesperson of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said after his meeting with Pakistani army chief Asim Munir in Tehran that a ceasefire in Lebanon is an inseparable part of a regional ceasefire - and one of Iran’s conditions in the talks with Washington.

Trump said that if an agreement with Iran is signed in Islamabad, he might travel there himself. He praised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Asim Munir. “The field marshal was great. The prime minister was really great. They want me there.”

The leader of the Emirates, Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the president of the United Arab Emirates, meanwhile said openly what many in the Gulf states are thinking: Iran is the main enemy - not Israel. Thousands of rockets and drones have hit the Gulf states. Trust is gone. The Emirates want guarantees that such attacks will not happen again, just as Iran is demanding guarantees and compensation.

In Tel Aviv, residents expressed both hope and skepticism. In Beirut, they fired into the sky. Both are understandable. Both are true.

About half an hour after the ceasefire took effect, Lebanon's state-run news agency reported Israeli shelling in the villages of Khiam and Dibbine. The Lebanese army repeated its warning to displaced residents not to return home. The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports. The terms of the ceasefire prohibit Israel from carrying out offensive military operations in Lebanon. They do, however, leave room for self-defense - against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks. How much room exactly is decided by the one who pulls the trigger.