WorldLebanon's president has said ‌a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreed the previous ​evening between the country and Israel could come into force within ​24 hours, according to local media, but militant group Hezbollah has not signed on as Israel's military vows to continue striking in the south of Lebanon.UN peacekeeper among at least 2 people reportedly killed in Lebanon on ThursdayThomson Reuters · Posted: Jun 04, 2026 6:29 AM EDT | Last Updated: 37 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.Israel and Hezbollah agree to partial ceasefire, though clashes continueJune 2|Duration 4:14Under a U.S.-brokered partial ceasefire, Israel has agreed to pull back from Beirut and Hezbollah has agreed to refrain from attacking Israel. However, fighting continues along Lebanon's border with Israel.Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun told local outlets on Thursday ‌that a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreed the previous ​evening between Lebanon ​and Israel could come into force within ​24 hours of ⁠all ⁠concerned parties approving it.The comments appeared to refer to Lebanese ⁠armed group Hezbollah, which has yet to ‌comment on the ceasefire announced after talks between Lebanese and ​Israeli officials in Washington. ⁠Hezbollah — the Iran-backed group considered a terrorist entity in several countries, including Canada — is opposed to the ⁠direct talks and ⁠has ⁠continued ​firing at Israeli troops in ​Lebanon.Hezbollah has yet to comment on the agreement. It had demanded that Lebanon quit the talks.Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Thursday the military would continue to strike Lebanon for the time being and won't withdraw from the south. The same day, Israel carried out several attacks in southern Lebanon, security sources said. Lebanon's National News Agency reported a drone strike on a motorbike killed one person and wounded another. A ​drone buzzed over Beirut.Peacekeeper killed, 2 others injuredThe UN peacekeeping mission UNIFIL said a UN peacekeeper died Thursday after mortar shells hit his position near Marjayoun in southeastern Lebanon. UNIFIL, which did not say where the shells originated, said two other peacekeepers were wounded and it had opened an investigation into the incident.The Israeli military, in a warning to residents of the south, said it ​was continuing to target Hezbollah facilities.AnalysisWhy the seizing of Lebanon's Beaufort Castle handed Iran leverage in peace talksThe war has continued despite several ceasefires declared from Washington since April. Hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel reignited March 2, when the group opened fire in support of Tehran as it came under U.S.-Israeli attack.The war has become a ​sticking point in diplomacy towards resolving the regional conflict. Tehran, whose Revolutionary Guards established Hezbollah in 1982, has demanded an end to Israeli attacks ⁠in Lebanon as part of any ⁠deal. Tehran has suggested in recent days that it could intervene directly in support of its proxy Hezbollah if Israel keeps up or escalates attacks there.Smoke billows following Israeli strikes, as seen from Nabatieh, Lebanon, on Thursday. (Reuters)A statement released by the U.S. State Department said the Israel-Lebanon ‌ceasefire was contingent on Hezbollah completely halting fire, and the evacuation of all its operatives from the area between the border and the Litani River.In his statement, Katz said Israeli forces would remain in the security zone, including the area of Beaufort castle, seized by Israeli forces at ⁠the weekend, "and without the return of the population," Katz added. Israel "will, for the time being, continue its fire and operations on the ground."Israel's campaign has forced some 1.2 million people to flee their homes, including hundreds of thousands from southern Lebanon, Lebanese authorities and UN agencies say. WATCH | Hezbollah integration into Lebanon society a challenge:What it will take to disarm HezbollahMay 6|Duration 6:35As Israel and Hezbollah exchange strikes, Lebanon’s government is vowing to demilitarize the Iran-backed militia and political party — but is that even possible? For The National, CBC’s Chris Brown takes a closer look at what it would take to disarm Hezbollah and why it hasn’t happened yet.Netanyahu's security minister criticizes dealIsrael's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called the ceasefire a "serious mistake" and said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ⁠should bring it to the cabinet for a vote.Ben-Gvir said Hezbollah would not withdraw its fighters from the area south of the Litani River and Lebanon's Armed ⁠Forces were incapable of forcing Hezbollah to comply.On Monday, U.S. ​President Donald Trump said Israel would not carry out attacks on Beirut after Netanyahu had said he'd ordered strikes on the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs.LISTEN | Center for International Policy's Matt Duss on the war and Abraham Accords:Front Burner31:21Does a ‘peace deal’ fuel Middle Eastern war?That announcement prompted criticism from ​Netanyahu's political opponents, and some allies, that the prime ⁠minister had ceded sovereignty.Katz said Israel would continue to "dismantle terrorist infrastructure in the area" while Israel had "freedom of action, backed by the United States, to strike in Beirut in response to attacks on Israeli communities and territory."AnalysisWhy disarming Hezbollah is about much more than guns and rocketsIsraeli attacks on medics in southern Lebanon part of 'alarming pattern,' says MSFLebanese ​ambassador to Washington Nada Hamadeh Moawad called the deal brokered by the U.S. "a very historic moment for Lebanon."The joint statement said Lebanon and Israel ‌agreed "to swiftly advance the creation of pilot zones in which the Lebanese Armed Forces will take exclusive control of the territory to the exclusion of all non-state actors." Lebanon's army deployed into the south as part of a ceasefire agreed in November 2024 to end the last Hezbollah-Israel war, and declared in January that it had established control over the area between the border and the Litani.