A ceasefire deal that went into effect on Wednesday could end more than a year of cross-border fighting between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group, raising hopes and renewing difficult questions in a region gripped by conflict.

Israel’s military said the cease-fire in Lebanon had taken effect Wednesday morning, raising hopes of a period of calm after two months of intense aerial bombardments and ground operations aimed at silencing months of Hezbollah rocket attacks on Israel.

Israel and Lebanon have accepted a US-backed proposal to end the 13-month border conflict that spiraled into an all-out war in September with Hezbollah. From the White House’s Rose Garden, US President Joe Biden said the deal that took effect early Wednesday morning,