Israel and Lebanon-based Hezbollah terrorists began a ceasefire Wednesday in a major step toward ending nearly 14 months of fighting. The 60-day ceasefire took effect Wednesday at 4 a.m. Tel Aviv time. It interrupts a war that Hezbollah started on October 8, 2023, the day after Hamas in Gaza attacked communities in southern Israel.

Israel launched an offensive in Lebanon in mid-September following months of tit-for-tat border attacks sparked by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon took effect on Wednesday after more than a year of fighting that has killed thousands of people. The truce, which began at 4:00 am (0200 GMT), should bring to a halt a war that has forced tens of thousands of people in Israel and hundreds of thousands more in Lebanon to flee their homes.