Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a ceasefire beginning at 4 p.m. local time on Friday, according to corroborated reports. The agreement followed an exchange of fire on Friday and Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon that killed at least 18 people, as reported by the Lebanese health ministry. The U.S. and Qatari negotiators brokered the deal with help from Iran. According to apnews.com, the Israeli military launched multiple strikes in southern Lebanon on Friday morning, while Hezbollah reported intense fighting in the area. Four Israeli Defense Forces soldiers were killed, prompting Israel's government to vow retribution, according to dw. Alarabiya reported that a Hezbollah lawmaker said Iran had informed the group that talks with Washington could not continue without the implementation of a comprehensive ceasefire, and that the intensification of violence in Lebanon strained the U.S.-Iranian interim agreement signed on Wednesday to end the wider war in the Middle East.