JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel has agreed to a ceasefire with Lebanon-based Hezbollah militants after nearly 14 months of cross-border fire that has dealt a heavy blow to both countries.
The ceasefire starts early Wednesday and calls for a two-month initial halt in fighting. It would require Hezbollah to end its armed presence in a broad swath of southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops would return to their side of the border. But implementation remains a major question mark.
The conflict began on Oct. 8, 2023, a day after Hamas attacked southern Israel, as Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in solidarity with Hamas and Israel returned fire. Tens of thousands of people were displaced from both sides of the border.
Israel launched a more widespread bombardment of Lebanon two months ago, followed by a ground invasion.
More than 3,500 people in Lebanon have been killed, many of them civilians. More than 70 have been killed in Israel, over 40 of them civilians. In addition, over 50 Israeli soldiers have been killed in the ground offensive. From entire Lebanese villages demolished to thousands of acres of Israeli farmland burned by Hezbollah rocket fire, the conflict has wreaked destruction on both sides of the border.
Here’s a look at the conflict by the numbers.
