The ceasefire is a major step toward ending nearly 14 months of fighting sparked by the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

The deal aims to achieve a 60-day pause of hostilities in Lebanon, but Biden said the deal is designed "to be a permanent cessation of hostilities.”View on euronews

A cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah brokered by the U.S. and France took effect in Lebanon early Wednesday, raising hopes of ending more than a year of cross-border strikes and a full-scale war that has killed thousands.