Ambassador Yehiel Leiter said Friday evening that if Hezbollah respects the ceasefire, it will be met with quiet. Israel halted offensive operations at 11:30 ET and will remain in the southern Lebanon security zone to dismantle Hezbollah's terror infrastructure.
Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yehiel Leiter confirmed Friday evening that the renewed ceasefire on the Lebanon front is conditional on Hezbollah's compliance, stating that if the terror group honors the truce, Israel will respond with quiet. He confirmed that Israel halted offensive operations as of 11:30 ET (18:30 Jerusalem time) and will remain in the southern Lebanon security zone until the mission to dismantle Hezbollah's terror infrastructure is complete. The statement, posted Friday evening, is the most on-record Israeli diplomatic framing to date, matching the military posture reported throughout the day.
The day's timeline began at 15:56 Jerusalem time, when a senior US official reported a ceasefire set for 16:00 (Friday 16:10 Jerusalem, version 1). By 16:10, multiple Israeli officials confirmed the ceasefire was in effect, while the IDF said strikes would continue as necessary (versions 2-7). Over the following minutes, officials clarified that Israel retains freedom of action and that forces remain in the security zone (version 5, version 6, version 7). A Gulf diplomat told The Zioneer the deal was confirmed after Qatar, US, and Iran mediation (Friday 18:57 Jerusalem, SAME-THREAD context). Leiter's remarks now represent the ambassador's own formal public framing, adding direct diplomatic weight to the military-and-official consensus.
As The Zioneer reported on Friday (00:29 Jerusalem), Leiter had earlier responded to the Lebanese Parliament Speaker, stressing that the agreement's preservation depends on ending violations. Separately, the US Ambassador to Lebanon had stated (Tue Jun 9, 11:22 Jerusalem) that Israel would continue targeting Beirut's Dahieh district if Hezbollah attacks persisted—a position now superseded by the current conditional truce.
What remains open: Hezbollah's own compliance posture. While the group has stated it has not attacked since the ceasefire took hold and warned it will respond if Israel operates in Lebanon (Jun 15, 15:09 Jerusalem, BACKGROUND), the exact operational status of Hezbollah's infrastructure in the security zone and the duration of the IDF's stay there have not been specified.
9 developments
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- DevelopingUS ambassador to Lebanon says IDF strikes on Beirut will continue if Hezbollah attacks persist
- DevelopingIsrael returns to Lebanon ceasefire — no initiated strikes unless attacked, Israeli official says
- StrongSenior US official reportedly says Israel and Hezbollah to cease fire at 16:00
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