An Israel-Hezbollah cease-fire: here's what we know

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.

The cease-fire began at 4 a.m. local time (9 p.m. ET) after it was approved by Israel’s security cabinet and then announced by President Joe Biden. It appeared to be holding in the immediate hours after coming into effect.

Wars in the Middle East: Israel approves ceasefire with Hezbollah

The war between Israel and Hezbollah was sparked by the war in Gaza, where Israel launched a military offensive to root out Hezbollah's ally Hamas ? both of whom are supported by Iran ? after the latter attacked Israel on Oct. 7 last year. Here's what we know about the Israel-Hezbollah cease-fire deal and the implications for the Middle East region.

What are the terms of the cease-fire?

It's intended to be permanent. However, the deal stipulates a 60-day pause in hostilities to allow Hezbollah's Lebanon-based fighters to retreat from the so-called Blue Line, an unofficial Israel-Lebanon border area that runs parallel to the Litani River. Over the next two months, Israel will gradually withdraw its forces from Lebanon.

Who will monitor the agreement's implementation?

The U.S. and France, though the deal largely mirrors an existing United Nations Security Council resolution ? 1701 ? which ended a war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006. Under 1701, only Lebanon's government and U.N. peacekeeping personnel, known as UNIFIL, are permitted to keep forces and weapons south of the Litani River.

U.S. and French diplomats and mediators will work with Lebanon's army and UNIFIL to deter potential violations of the cease-fire but neither American nor French combat forces will be deployed to the area.

What does the cease-fire mean for the war in Gaza?

The deal does not directly address the war in Gaza that erupted after Hamas attacked communities in southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping dozens back to the Palestinian territory. Israel has killed more than 45,000 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Hezbollah previously insisted it would only halt its attacks on Israel if Israel agreed to stop fighting in Gaza. The cease-fire may nevertheless, if it holds, help push, some reports have suggested, Hamas toward seeking a truce. The White House has said it intends to begin a renewed push for a Gaza cease-fire in the coming days.

What does the cease-fire mean for civilians?

Civilians have borne the brunt of the conflict, with many killed or injured and an estimated million-plus people displaced from their homes in Lebanon and Israel. Lebanese media outlets reported that thousands of people were returning to their homes Wednesday in southern Lebanon despite warnings from Israel's military not to do so.

In Israel, some residents who over the last year fled northern communities amid Hezbollah shelling and missile attacks questioned whether the cease-fire would lead to a lasting peace.

"Despite the difficulties in my personal life, I’d rather we continued fighting and only agree to a ceasefire when we’re really in control," Miro Vahknin, from the coastal city of Nahariya, told the Times of Israel.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: An Israel-Hezbollah cease-fire: here's what we know