Israel and Hezbollah agree to a ceasefire

**Oliver Conway** (0:00)
You're listening to the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. Hello, I'm Oliver Conway. We're recording this at 1500 GMT on Friday the 19th of June. Israel and Hezbollah agree a ceasefire after intense fighting in Lebanon. Talks between the US and Iran about a longer term deal are currently on hold. And does a meeting between the government and opposition in Venezuela mean democracy is moving closer?
Also in the podcast, the row between the US and Italy after Donald Trump is accused of insulting Georgia Meloni.

**Giorgia Meloni** (0:37)
The statements by Donald Trump are totally made up. I'm frankly appalled. One thing I must remind him of, I and Italy never beg.

**Oliver Conway** (0:47)
And the film about forbidden love that's captured the hearts of people in India.
The deal signed by the US and Iranian presidents on Wednesday declared an immediate end to military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon. Fighting there has been going on since just after the start of the Iran conflict and has actually been more deadly. There have been more deaths there today, with Lebanese health officials saying Israeli strikes since midnight killed 47 people and wounded nearly 100 others. Israel said it was retaliating for the killing of four soldiers by Hezbollah. A far-right Israeli cabinet minister, Itamar Ben-Gavir, even declared that all of Lebanon must burn.
The US, which has been expressing its frustration with Israeli aggression in Lebanon recently, has now stepped in and both Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a ceasefire. We'll hear about that from our correspondent in Jerusalem in just a moment. But first to Lebanon itself and Dr Ahmad Drake, an emergency care doctor in Nabatea Government Hospital.

**Ahmad Drake** (1:58)
Last night it was like a disaster. The amount of bombs were thrown on us, the amount of rockets, the amount of patient wounded, the amount of dead bodies that came to us. It feels like the first days of the war.

**Oliver Conway** (2:09)
The BBC's Currin Torbay in southern Lebanon told us more about how the Israeli attacks are affecting people there.

**Carolin Torbay** (2:16)
When we came yesterday to the south of Lebanon, we saw people who were trying to come back, who were a bit cautious, but still with some kind of optimism that the deal or the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran could bring some peace to this area. But this morning, everything changed completely, and there have been a number of strikes without any warning. Israel pounded the area, the sector of Nabatae in south Lebanon, and this triggered another wave of displacement from people who just came back to check on their houses. Of course, what they saw is massive destruction all over. Lots of houses, shops, cars, everything is completely destroyed. But some people were still wanting to come back. And today they had to once more pack their stuff and leave.

**Oliver Conway** (3:12)
And do we know what triggered this particular escalation? Obviously, Hezbollah and Israel are not parties to the US-Iran deal. And both have been trading attacks for months and even years.

**Carolin Torbay** (3:26)
They are not direct parties to this deal. But the way this deal worked is basically that the United States said it will put pressure on Israel to convince Israel to stop its attacks on Lebanon. And Iran, which is seen as the main sponsor of Hezbollah, would ask Hezbollah to commit to the ceasefire and to stop attacking Israel as well. And that was the understanding that both parties, Iran is a very important regional power, America was always a cloud, can force the parties on the ground to stop even if this is happening in a third country.
But this didn't actually materialize. Well the Israelis say that they are doing all of this because Hezbollah has violated the agreement, which Hezbollah denies completely. Because Hezbollah considers that since it hasn't attacked the Israelis inside Israel, it hasn't done anything that is contrary to the deal or to the understanding. And that all the attacks that happened were either while Hezbollah was defending Lebanese territory and stopping the Israelis from advancing further and occupying further territory inside Lebanon, or was basically attacking Israeli troops in Lebanon and what Hezbollah sees as a legitimate right to resist Israeli occupation.

**Oliver Conway** (4:42)
Karine Torbay in the Lebanese city of Taya. Well, that new ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is supposed to have come into effect, but will it hold? Here's Charlotte Gallagher in Jerusalem.

**Charlotte Gallagher** (4:55)
We've had multiple ceasefires. We've been here before and they have collapsed. I think this is maybe a pause, a reprieve. I think the pressure definitely has come from the United States. Benjamin Netanyahu, internally, politically, for him, this does not play well. A lot of people inside Israel, not just politicians, but also members of the public, wanted this offensive in southern Lebanon to continue and essentially for Hezbollah to be eliminated. They are now in a ceasefire period. However, Israeli troops are not going to withdraw from Lebanon. There are thousands of troops inside southern Lebanon. And Israel have said they will stay there inside what they call the security strip as long as that is necessary for the safety of people in Israel's northern communities. Both sides are saying at this point, Israel and Hezbollah, that they will respect the ceasefire as long as the other side does.