India, on Wednesday, welcomed the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon and said it hoped that these developments will lead to “peace and stability” in the wider region.  The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon-based Hezbollah began early Wednesday morning.

Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah reached a ceasefire late Tuesday evening after months of deadly clashes that stemmed from the Israel-Gaza conflict but escalated in September this year, after several leaders of the Lebanese militant group were killed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked outgoing United States’ President Joe Biden for his “involvement in securing the ceasefire agreement”. He told Biden in a call that he appreciated the US leader’s “understanding that Israel will maintain its freedom of action in enforcing it”, according to Netanyahu’s office.

Ahead of Israel’s approval of the deal, Netanyahu said the “length of the ceasefire depends on what happens in Lebanon” and the truce would allow Israel to “intensify” pressure on Hamas and focus on the “Iranian threat”.

The Ministry of External Affairs(MEA)said in a statement “We welcome the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that has been announced. We have always called for de-escalation, restraint and return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy. We hope these developments will lead to peace and stability in the wider region.”

In early October, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had termed the conflict in West Asia as a cause of “great concern” and “deep worry”, even as he had said that in a globalised world, a conflict anywhere actually creates problems everywhere.

“Honestly today, whether it is the conflict in Ukraine or the conflict in the Middle East (West Asia), these are big factors of instability, big factors of concern”, Jaishankar had said during an event here.

Long-displaced residents of south Lebanon have begun to return to their homes amid celebrations hours after the ceasefire, the reports in international media said. Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah reached a ceasefire after months of deadly clashes that stemmed from the Israel-Gaza conflict but escalated in September this year, after several leaders of the Lebanese militant group were killed.

The ceasefire deal that has commenced will be carried out over 60 days, with both Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants withdrawing from southern Lebanon.

The deal comes after nearly 14 months of fighting and has been brokered by the US and France. While US President Joe Biden said the deal is designed to provide a permanent end to the conflict, Israeli ministers insisted Israel would resume strikes on Lebanon if Hezbollah breached the terms of the ceasefire. While the deal does not affect Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza, the ceasefire would bring an end to nearly 14 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.