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Celebrations broke out in the Lebanese city of Sidon after United States President Donald Trump announced a ten-day ceasefire with Israel.
"And that'll be great. And they'll be meeting probably coming to the White House over the next four or five days. And that would be the first time they've met in 44 years."
The temporary truce, which came into effect this morning, has been welcomed by Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.
He said on social media it had been a key Lebanese demand during recent ambassador-level discussions in Washington.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also said he's accepted the ceasefire.
“This balance has changed in such a way that we have begun to receive calls from Lebanon in the past month to hold direct peace talks between us and them, something that had not happened for more than 40 years. I agreed to this call, and I agreed for a pause, or more precisely a temporary ceasefire for 10 days, in order to try to advance the agreement that we began to discuss with the ambassadors meeting in Washington.”
Hezbollah parliamentarian Ibrahim al-Moussawi has said the militant group would cautiously adhere to the ceasefire if Israel stopped its attacks.
Whether Hezbollah disarms will be a key issue in upcoming talks, with Israel indicating this remains a precondition for longer-term peace.
The Israeli occupation of a so-called security buffer in southern Lebanon will also be a key issue.
Benjamin Netanyahu says a ten-kilometre buffer will remain in place throughout the truce.
Israel's Ambassador to the UN is Danny Danon.
“We will have to follow very carefully what's happening on the ground and if we will feel threatened we will react. You know, we are not going anywhere, we are holding our positions”
Hezbollah has said in a statement that “any ceasefire must be comprehensive across all Lebanese territory and must not allow the Israeli enemy any freedom of movement”.
“And we all know that you know the problem is not with the Lebanese government, the problem is with Hezbollah and it will be challenging. We believe in direct negotiations with Lebanon but we are aware of the complexity that you deal with the Lebanese government, but Hezbollah, they don't take orders from the Lebanese government. They take orders from Iran. We know it's complex, but we are willing to give it a try.”
The Lebanese Army has already reported violations of the ceasefire by the Israeli army, including intermittent shelling of villages in the country's south.
Israel has flattened whole towns in the south - using tactics reminiscent of the Gaza conflict - and been criticised for alleged use of illegal white phosphorus.
Lebanese authorities say Israel has killed more than 2,000 people and displaced over a million since hostilities with Hezbollah resumed in March.
With the ceasefire now in force, displaced resident Ibrahim Mahdi says he plans to return to his home in Beirut's southern suburbs.
"Of course, we are the people of Dahieh, and of course we want to return. Of course, for us it is easier than it is for the people of the south, the southern community, or the Bekaa. We are from Dahieh, so it is easy for us to set up a tent and stay there.”
How long internally displaced Lebanese citizens like Mahdi will be able to stay in Beirut - let alone areas further south - remains to be seen.
And whether this ceasefire holds could have enormous repercussions across the region, as the US and Iran look to progress broader talks.
Disagreement over whether Lebanon was included in the ceasefire between Iran, Israel and the US had been a barrier to a permanent deal.
Now, Donald Trump has suggested on social media a second round of in-person talks could take place in Pakistan over the weekend.
“I would, I would go to Pakistan, Pakistan has been great. They've been so good, Islamabad, I'll be, I might go, yeah. If the deal is signed in Islamabad I might go. The Field Marshal (Asim Munir) has been great, the Prime Minister (Shehbaz Sharif ) has been really great in Pakistan. So I might go. They want me.”
The people of southern Lebanon want to go back to what's left of their villages - which will likely be harder after Israel reportedly destroyed the last bridge crossing the Litani River.
In Qasmiyeh, southern Lebanon, work has already begun to repair this damaged bridge - in a sign of the fragile hope this ceasefire offers.
