Israel, Lebanon agree to conditional ceasefire

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

The two sides, which do not have formal diplomatic relations, also agreed to create "pilot zones" in which the Lebanese armed forces "will take exclusive control of the territory to the exclusion of all non-state actors".

The development came despite continued cross-border attacks earlier in the day, with Hizbollah saying it targeted Israeli troops and Israeli strikes killing at least ten people in southern Lebanon.

Just hours after the agreement was announced, air raid alarms sounded in northern Israel with a "suspicious aerial target" identified without causing any casualties.

The joint statement said the ceasefire was "contingent on a complete cessation" of fire by Hizbollah as well as evacuation of the group's operatives from southern Lebanon.

The meetings in Washington were the fourth round of direct talks by Lebanese and Israeli diplomats since fighting erupted on March 2, when Hezbollah renewed attacks against Israel in support of Iran.

Agence France-Presse