Cyprus Offers to Assist on Lebanon Ceasefire as More Nations Welcome Agreement

 Displaced residents drive past the rubble of destroyed buildings as they return to their villages, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Tyre, southern Lebanon. (AP)
Displaced residents drive past the rubble of destroyed buildings as they return to their villages, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Tyre, southern Lebanon. (AP)
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Cyprus Offers to Assist on Lebanon Ceasefire as More Nations Welcome Agreement

 Displaced residents drive past the rubble of destroyed buildings as they return to their villages, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Tyre, southern Lebanon. (AP)
Displaced residents drive past the rubble of destroyed buildings as they return to their villages, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Tyre, southern Lebanon. (AP)

Cyprus is willing to assist in any way possible in helping implement a ceasefire brokered between Lebanon and Israel, its government said on Wednesday.

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides spoke by phone with Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Wednesday, a statement from the government spokesperson's office said.

"(Christodoulides) expressed the readiness of the Republic of Cyprus to assist in any way requested - taking into account Cyprus's proximity as an EU member state closest to the region and its excellent relations with all parties - both in implementing the ceasefire and any other request," the government spokesperson said in a statement.

Egypt welcomed the ceasefire, the foreign ministry said in a statement, while Jordan said the deal should prompt greater international efforts to bring an end to the war in Gaza.

In an official statement, the kingdom said the move was also a first step towards reversing a dangerous escalation of tensions across the region that had threatened peace and security.

Türkiye welcomed the ceasefire, hoping the truce will be lasting, its foreign ministry said on Wednesday, calling on the international community to pressure Israel into fully implementing it.

"It is imperative for the international community to exert pressure on Israel to fully comply with the ceasefire and to provide reparations for the damages it has caused in Lebanon," the ministry said in a statement, adding Türkiye was ready to support peace efforts in Lebanon.

It added that a ceasefire must also be declared in Gaza as soon as possible for lasting regional peace and stability.



Katz: Israel to Continue Operations in Lebanon for Now Despite Ceasefire

(2L/R) Israel's Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, State Department Chief of Staff Daniel Holler, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa and Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh attend a meeting between Israeli and Lebanese delegations hosted by the United States at the State Department in Washington, DC, on June 3, 2026. (Photo by Oliver Contreras / AFP)
(2L/R) Israel's Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, State Department Chief of Staff Daniel Holler, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa and Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh attend a meeting between Israeli and Lebanese delegations hosted by the United States at the State Department in Washington, DC, on June 3, 2026. (Photo by Oliver Contreras / AFP)
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Katz: Israel to Continue Operations in Lebanon for Now Despite Ceasefire

(2L/R) Israel's Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, State Department Chief of Staff Daniel Holler, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa and Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh attend a meeting between Israeli and Lebanese delegations hosted by the United States at the State Department in Washington, DC, on June 3, 2026. (Photo by Oliver Contreras / AFP)
(2L/R) Israel's Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, State Department Chief of Staff Daniel Holler, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa and Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh attend a meeting between Israeli and Lebanese delegations hosted by the United States at the State Department in Washington, DC, on June 3, 2026. (Photo by Oliver Contreras / AFP)

Israel will continue its operations on the ground in southern Lebanon for the time being and Lebanese residents forced from their homes by Israel would not be able to return, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday.

His comments came a day after Lebanon and Israel said they had ⁠agreed to implement ⁠a ceasefire during talks in Washington. The deal is contingent on a cessation of fire from Hezbollah.

In a statement, Katz said troops ⁠would remain in its so-called security zone in southern Lebanon, including in the area of Beaufort Castle, a 900-year-old fortress captured by Israel on Saturday.

According to Reuters, he 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."

Lebanon and Israel agreed on Wednesday to a new US-backed ceasefire in Lebanon. They had previously agreed to a cessation of hostilities in April that was then extended in May, but violence has continued.


Civil Defense: Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 8 in Gaza

A Palestinian man stands at the site of an Israeli strike on an apartment in Gaza City, June 4, 2026. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
A Palestinian man stands at the site of an Israeli strike on an apartment in Gaza City, June 4, 2026. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
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Civil Defense: Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 8 in Gaza

A Palestinian man stands at the site of an Israeli strike on an apartment in Gaza City, June 4, 2026. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
A Palestinian man stands at the site of an Israeli strike on an apartment in Gaza City, June 4, 2026. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas

Israeli attacks on Gaza killed at least eight people on Thursday, a spokesman for the civil defense agency in the Palestinian territory told AFP.

"At least eight martyrs as a result of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City at dawn," with seven killed in strikes on residential buildings and one in the Al-Shati refugee camp to the west of Gaza City, said spokesman Mahmoud Bassal.

Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City also reported 15 people wounded in the strikes, he added.

Despite a truce technically in effect since October, daily violence has rocked the Gaza Strip, over half of which is under Israeli military control in defiance of the ceasefire's terms.

Israel has killed at least 936 people since the ceasefire began, according to Gaza's health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority and whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.

Both Hamas and Israel accuse each other of violating the ceasefire.

The first phase of the truce involved the release of the last Israeli hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel.

A transition to the second phase of the ceasefire, which was supposed to involve Hamas's disarmament and a gradual withdrawal of the Israeli army, has been stalled for months.

Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the military to take control of 70 percent of the Gaza Strip.

The latest head of Hamas's armed wing in Gaza, Mohammed Odeh, was killed in an Israeli strike last week, a month after his predecessor was also killed.


Lebanon State Media Reports Israeli Strikes after Conditional Truce Announcement

This photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjayoun shows smoke rising from the site of an Israeli strike that targeted the village of Kfar Tibnit on June 3, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
This photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjayoun shows smoke rising from the site of an Israeli strike that targeted the village of Kfar Tibnit on June 3, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
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Lebanon State Media Reports Israeli Strikes after Conditional Truce Announcement

This photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjayoun shows smoke rising from the site of an Israeli strike that targeted the village of Kfar Tibnit on June 3, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
This photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjayoun shows smoke rising from the site of an Israeli strike that targeted the village of Kfar Tibnit on June 3, 2026. (Photo by AFP)

Lebanese official media reported Israeli strikes on the country's south on Thursday morning, hours after an announcement that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to implement a conditional ceasefire following talks in Washington.

The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported Israeli drone strikes along roads at several south Lebanon locations, saying at least one caused casualties.

Israel and Lebanon agreed Wednesday to implement a ceasefire but said it would require a "complete cessation" of fire by Iran-backed Hezbollah, according to a joint statement after US-led talks in Washington.