A senior US official told Reuters that Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a ceasefire that will take effect at 4:00 p.m.
Earlier, the US informed Iran that Israel was not expected to escalate its strikes in Lebanon despite the deadly incident in southern Lebanon in which four Israeli soldiers were killed by Hezbollah fire, CNN reported on Friday afternoon.
Earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared: “My directive is clear: Israel will not tolerate attacks on our soldiers or our territory, and it will exact a very heavy price from Hezbollah for these attacks. The IDF will act to eliminate any threat to our forces and our territory. As I made unequivocally clear, including yesterday, Israel will remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon for as long as necessary to protect the communities of northern Israel."
Defense Minister Israel Katz expressed condolences to the families of the four fallen soldiers, “We will not allow harm to come to our soldiers or our civilians, and every violation of the ceasefire by Hezbollah will be met with great force," Katz wrote, adding that “the IDF will remain in the security zone in Lebanon, from the Mediterranean coast to the heights of the Beaufort."
Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned the Israeli strikes in Lebanon and claimed that the US bears direct responsibility for the attacks. It also stated that Iran would take all necessary measures “to defend its interests and its allies."
Earlier Friday, the IDF cleared for publication that Lt. Col. Dor Gedalia Ben Shimon, 32, from Beit Hashita, along with three additional Armored Corps soldiers whose names have not yet been cleared for publication, were killed in southern Lebanon.
Since the ceasefire in Lebanon took effect in April, 23 soldiers and one Defense Ministry civilian employee have been killed in southern Lebanon.