Live Reporting
Edited by Jacqueline Howard and Francesca Gillett, with Hugo Bachega and Lina Sinjab in Lebanon and Lucy Williamson in northern Israel
First day of Lebanon ceasefire appears to holdpublished at 20:44 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November
20:44 GMT 27 November
Francesca Gillett
Live editorNight has fallen on the first day of a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah - a truce that the head of the UN has called "the first ray of hope" after more than a year of war.
But Israel and Hezbollah both say they are ready to deal with any new attack and are on standby for any violations.
Tonight, Israel has issued an overnight curfew to people in Lebanon seeking to return to southern Lebanon following the truce, saying some areas remained unsafe.
Attention has now turned to what this might mean for a Gaza ceasefire. The US envoy who negotiated this deal thinks it might help unlock a ceasefire in the Strip. Our correspondent Frank Gardner explains the complicating factors.
We're closing our live coverage now. Our international correspondent Jeremy Bowen has written an in-depth piece on the ceasefire and what comes next - he says it is a respite, not a solution for the Middle East.
Today's main developments since the ceasefire came into forcepublished at 20:43 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November
20:43 GMT 27 November
We've been reporting throughout the day on developments in the Middle East following the beginning of a ceasefire deal between Hezbollah and Israel which came into effect at 04:00 in Lebanon (02:00 GMT) this morning. Here's what's happened since:
- People displaced in the conflict immediately travelled back to southern Lebanon resulting in enormous traffic jams throughout the day. This came despite warnings from the Israeli military that it would not be safe for civilians to return home yet and the setting of a curfew overnight
- There were mixed reactions as the ceasefire came into force - some returning to southern Lebanon celebrated the deal, one said he had "mixed feelings" while a resident of northern Israel said "nothing has changed"
- The Secretary General of the UN, Antonio Guterres, welcomed the ceasefire as a "ray of hope for peace" in the region
- America's national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the deal took "weeks and months" of "relentless American diplomacy"
- Hezbollah said it would continue "the path of resistance", while Israel said it would "respond forcefully to any violation" of the deal
- The Lebanese army begun bolstering its presence in the south, in line with the terms of the ceasefire deal, while UN peacekeepers Unifil said it was "adjusting to the new situation"
- In Gaza, Hamas said the group was "ready" for a ceasefire deal - reacting positively to the deal between Israel and Hezbollah. Other countries have been calling for a Gaza ceasefire throughout the day
- Meanwhile Israel has said it will appeal the arrest warrant issued by the ICC for Benjamin Netanyahu, and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant
IDF says it has been 'enforcing' the ceasefire in southern Lebanonpublished at 20:21 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November
20:21 GMT 27 November
Daniel Hagari, spokesman for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), has tonight given an update, saying their soldiers are still positioned in southern Lebanon, and will "gradually withdraw in accordance with the agreement".
He says their aircraft also continue to fly over the area, to gather intelligence.
Today, Hagari says the IDF has "operated to enforce" the agreement, and "identified suspects approaching restricted areas, detained them, and fired warning shots" - which we covered earlier.
Hagari says "any violation of the ceasefire will be met with fire", and adds: "Residents of Lebanon, as you have seen throughout the war, we do what we say... The ceasefire agreement is structured to be gradual, and we will update you when it is safe to return to the area."
What's in the ceasefire deal - a reminderpublished at 20:11 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November
20:11 GMT 27 November
After 13 months of fighting between Israel and Lebanon, today there has been silence because of the ceasefire that began at 04:00 local time (02:00 GMT). The agreement means;
- Hezbollah has been given 60 days to end its armed presence in southern Lebanon
- Israeli forces must also withdraw from that area in the same timeframe
- The Lebanese army will deploy troops to this zone, and be the only armed group allowed in the area, alongside the UN peacekeeping mission
- It is designed to be permanent, according to US president Joe Biden, who helped broker the deal
- But both states still have "the right to self-defence", according to the ceasefire
We've explained more about what the deal includes here.
Man who negotiated ceasefire says it 'opens door' to Gaza dealpublished at 19:52 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November
19:52 GMT 27 November
Image source, ReutersAmos Hochstein, the US envoy who negotiated the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, says he thinks this agreement will help unlock a deal to stop the fighting in Gaza.
"I think this deal yesterday opens two doors," he tells the BBC's Newshour. "One is for a deal with Hamas on getting the hostages out and ending the conflict. And two if we get that done, a normalisation agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
"I know I sound crazy but then again people thought I sounded crazy when I said I thought I could get a deal in Lebanon... I read many articles how I was in fantasy-land.
"Will it happen I don't know, but we have an opportunity and I think that's why this deal is so important. It's not just about Lebanon, it's a key that unlocks potentially an even broader door."
Hezbollah says it will continue its resistancepublished at 19:40 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November
19:40 GMT 27 November
Hezbollah's operations unit has spoken for the first time since the ceasefire deal was announced, and says it pledges to "continuing the path of resistance with even greater determination".
In a post on Telegram, the group says it will stand alongside Palestinian fighters.
It is also "prepared to confront Israeli enemy ambitions and aggression" and says its fighters would monitor the withdrawal of Israeli forces beyond Lebanon's borders "with their hands on the trigger".
UK says it will continue to train Lebanese troopspublished at 19:26 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November
19:26 GMT 27 November
Image source, ReutersBritain could train and support the Lebanese army as it works to uphold the ceasefire, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy says.
He tells MPs the UK had made a commitment to stand by Lebanon, and "that means increased support going forward and we play an important role - that has been primarily in support of the armed forces".
The UK also says it would respect the "domestic legal process" of the ICC warrant for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, after France earlier suggested it might not arrest him if he visited.
A spokesman for PM Sir Keir Starmer says: "We aren't going to pre-empt the domestic legal process, which... has not been used in the UK before, as an ICC indictee has never travelled to the UK. If there was such a visit, then there would be a court process and due process would be followed in relation to those issues."
Last week Downing Street indicated Netanyahu would face arrest if he travelled to the UK.
ICC says appeal requests are for 'judges to decide'published at 19:16 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November
19:16 GMT 27 November
Earlier, Netanyahu's office said it will appeal the recent arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court for the country's PM Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister.
ICC spokesman Fadi El-Abdallah tells reporters that if any requests for an appeal were submitted it would be for the "judges to decide".
He does not directly comment on the Israeli appeal, AFP news agency adds.
Attention moves to Gaza - does this truce make a ceasefire there more likely?published at 18:31 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November
18:31 GMT 27 November
Frank Gardner
Security correspondentThe Lebanon ceasefire is not yet one day old but already attention is focusing once more on the conflict in Gaza.
The US, Qatar, Egypt, Turkey and other countries are all keen to push for a ceasefire there too.
But Gaza is both different and more difficult to resolve than Israel’s brief but violent war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Hamas, the militant Islamist organisation which has ruled Gaza since 2006, is unwilling to give up the hundred Israeli hostages it’s holding until Israel withdraws its army.
Israel won’t do that until it decides it has so degraded Hamas’s military capability that it can never again pose a threat.
An Israeli government spokesman told the BBC that with Hezbollah in Lebanon now effectively out of the equation, Hamas was isolated and should be more amenable to a truce.
But a complicating factor is that some in the Israeli establishment attach an ideological importance to Gaza, even talking about re-establishing settlements there.
And meanwhile, even after 13 months of war and more than 44,000 people killed, there still appears to be no clear plan for who will govern Gaza and how.
'The first ray of hope', says UN chief on today's ceasefirepublished at 18:17 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November
18:17 GMT 27 November
Image source, Getty ImagesWe're now more than 16 hours into the official ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, and there's optimism internationally that the truce will continue to hold.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres tells a news conference that the ceasefire is "the first rayof hope for peace amid the darkness of the past months", Reuters is reporting.
But, according to Reuters, Guterres also stresses the need for caution, saying: "It is essential that those who signed the ceasefire commitment respect it in full."
We'll keep to ceasefire as long as Hezbollah doesn't breach it, says Israelpublished at 18:04 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November
18:04 GMT 27 November
Israel says it will "respond forcefully to any violation" of the ceasefire, government spokesman David Mencer tells the BBC.
"If Hezbollah violates the agreement and tries to again rearm itself, we will defend ourselves. If it tries to rebuild terrorist infrastructure near our border we will defend us ourselves."
Asked about the possibility of a ceasefire in Gaza, Mencer says: "If Hamas surrenders, the war in Gaza is over this afternoon before we put our kids to bed."
Talks for a Gaza ceasefire have been deadlocked for months. Hamas officials say they are "ready" for a ceasefire agreement similar to that reached with Hezbollah, but Mencer tells the BBC there is "no scenario" where Hamas remains in Gaza in any capacity.
'I hope it continues, but I have doubts'published at 17:45 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November
17:45 GMT 27 November
Image source, ReutersPeople in Israel have been speaking to Reuters news agency about the ceasefire.
"This morning, I'm here collecting eggs again, which I've been doing for every day for the last year and a half," said Anne Maman, from Zar'it in northern Israel, earlier.
"But today, I'm doing it without the explosions of firing coming from the border just about a hundred yards away. So I hope this continues, but I have my doubts."
Amichay Bitton, a farmer from Avivim, gestures to his parents' house and says: "There's nothing, total destruction... It's a heartache."
He calls the ceasefire a "big nonsense", adding that "nothing has changed" and: "Tomorrow there will be more explosions. Tomorrow they [Hezbollah] will go through the tunnels that haven't been found yet, and they will reach us and take us whole."
Get in touchpublished at 17:38 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November
17:38 GMT 27 November
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School sheltering displaced people is now almost emptypublished at 17:36 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November
17:36 GMT 27 November
Carine Torbey
BBC Arabic correspondent, in BeirutI went to one of the biggest school complexes in Beirut that hosted a very large number of displaced people when the Israeli escalation started more than two months ago.
The place that used to be buzzing with activity looked almost empty except for some kids playing in one of the courts and a group of people sitting around smoking shisha.
Almost 80% of those who were in the complex had left this morning, some to the south, others to the southern suburb of Beirut.
When we arrived, we saw people packing their mattresses and carrying big bags bulging with their belongings.
A guy in charge of the services in the complex told me that from the start of the day a lot of people left to inspect their properties; others sent their kids, staying behind until they know better about what happened to their houses.
But despite the massive movement of people returning to their towns, it is still business as usual at the displacement centre as a lot of people are expected to come back.
People rush back - but questions remain over what comes nextpublished at 17:17 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November
17:17 GMT 27 November
Lina Sinjab
BBC News, reporting from BeirutImage source, ReutersIn Beirut, people have been rushing back to their homes, walking over the rubble of their once-houses.
Many have nothing left from their lives before.
People here are holding their breath and hoping that there is no more violence.
There are many questions at stake, as there is concern over if the ceasefire will hold.
They also are wondering where the help will come from to rebuild their homes.
Many people feel that any mistake from Hezbollah will lead back to square one.
For the ordinary people, they are rushing to go back to some sort of normality despite the destruction.
France acknowledges possibility it may not arrest Netanyahu according to ICC warrantpublished at 16:59 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November
16:59 GMT 27 November
France has opened the possibility that it might not arrest the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, were he to enter the country.
That's despite him being subject to a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.
The French foreign ministry said the leaders of countries that are not members of the court - like Israel - enjoy certain immunities.
France's judiciary, it said, would have to consider these in the event Netanyahu visited.
He's been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the Gaza conflict - allegations he strenuously denies. France is a member of the ICC.
Israel to appeal Netanyahu ICC arrest warrantpublished at 16:40 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November
16:40 GMT 27 November
Image source, ReutersJust six days ago - before news of a ceasefire broke - judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as a Hamas commander, Mohammed Deif, who Israel says was killed in July.
These measures were based on their roles in the war in Gaza, and would have restricted Netanyahu and Gallant from visiting any of the 124 member states of the ICC, for fear of being arrested.
Now, Israel has informed the ICC that it will appeal against the arrest warrants issued for Netanyahu and Gallant.
A statement from Netanyahu's office, external says Israel "denies the authority" of the ICC and the Hague "and the legitimacy of the arrest warrants" against the pair.
"Israel submitted an announcement to the ICC today regarding its intention to appeal to the court along with a demand to delay implementation of the arrest warrants," the statement says.
Smiles and thumbs up as Lebanese return homepublished at 16:30 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November
16:30 GMT 27 November
We can bring you some more images now of people returning to areas of Lebanon that came under fire during the conflict.
As we've been reporting, tens of thousands of people have began returning home - although the Israeli military has been warning against people returning to some areas.
Image source, ReutersImage source, ReutersImage source, ReutersWhere is the damage in Lebanon?published at 16:16 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November
16:16 GMT 27 November
Despite warnings from Israel's military, many people displaced by the conflict in Lebanon appear to be heading back to their homes in the south.
Much destruction awaits them there - the IDF carried out air strikes across Lebanon throughout the conflict, but the majority of strikes hit southern Lebanon, where about a million people lived before the conflict escalated over a year ago.
The graphic below shows which areas of Lebanon sustained the most concentrated damage during the conflict.
UN peacekeepers say they're already adjusting operationspublished at 15:57 Greenwich Mean Time 27 November
15:57 GMT 27 November
Image source, EPAUnifil, the peacekeeping mission that operate on the border between Israel and Lebanon, says it has "already begun adjusting our operations to the new situation", and will continue to perform its mandated tasks.
Civilians on both sides of the Blue Line - the unofficial border between Lebanon and Israel - have "suffered greatly," the group says.
"Unifil and our peacekeepers from 48 countries have remained in place and now stand ready to support Lebanon and Israel in this new phase, and in their implementation of the resolution."
