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>> and caitriona perry. this is bbc world news america. israel and lebanon reach a cease-fire deal in the conflict that has left thousands dead and many more displays. pres. biden: i'm pleased to announce the government have accepted the united states proposal to end the devastating conflict between israel and hezbollah. caitriona: world leaders react after president a look donald trump promises import tariffs on his first day in office. ♪ hello and welcome to world news america. u.s. president joe biden come from a cease-fire between israel and hezbollah, saying it is possible -- a truth is possible

and what he called the deadliest conflict in decades. in terms of thousands of rockets have been fired into northern israel. the new cease-fire will be implement it over a 60-day peod, which will come into effect at 4:00 in the morning local time, 9:00 p.m. eastern u.s. time tonight. it comes at the end of a major diplomatic push by the united states and others to get the deal over the line. let's hear from president joe biden now on the agreement, successfully brokered by the s., its allies, and its partner communities. pres. biden: the fighting across the lebanese-israeli border will end. this is designed to be a permanent decision of hostilities. what is left of hezbollah and other terrorist organizations will not be allowed to threaten security again. over the next 60 days, the lebanese army and state security forces will take control of

their own territory once again. hezbollah terrorist infrastructuren southern lebanon will not be allowed to rebuild. caitriona: benjamin netanyahu confirm in a national address that his government will approve the deal, and that israel will respond severely. he said the war would not end until residents in northern israel can return safely to the area that has been hit by hezbollah in cross-border attacks have intensified in the last six months, including the moments just before a cease-fire deal was announced. >> why should we have a cease-fire now? for three main reasons. the first reason is to focus on the iranian threat, and i will not expand on that. the second reason is to get our forces a breather and to replenish stocks. i say it openly, it's no secret that there have been big delays in weapons and munitions delivery.

these delays will be resolved soon. we will receive supplies of advanced weaponry that will keep our soldiers a safe and give us more strikeforce to complete our mission. the third reason for having the cease-fire is to separate the fronts and isolate hamas. caitriona: joining me now is our middle east correspondent hugo bachega, who is in beirut. strike evacuation orders are in beirut. what is the current situation? hugo: yeah, caitriona, it was a dramatic day of a major escalation of israeli attacks on beirut as they waited for this announcement of the cease-fire. th war here did not really stock, and israel carried out the most intense attacks on beirut in this conflict. there was a wave of huge airstrikes here, the area here in beirut that is essentially controlled by hezbollah.

central beirut also came under attack from a building not far from our position here completely collapsed. seven people were killed. we tries to get to the location of that attack two hours ago, but we could not because of new evacuation warnings issued by the israeli military. we were actually there when an attack happened. there was panic, people all trying to flee, seeking safety. so i think it gives you an idea of the tense few hours here in beirut as a result of these massive attacks happening here in the citadel. we still have a few hours before the cease-fire comes into effect , at 4:00 local time, 2:00 in the morning gmt. there's also a fear that both sides could intensify attacks in the hours before the cease-fire, but now, it is a quiet night here in beirut, and drones

flying overhead have now left the city. the hope here is that this will bring an end to this conflict that has brought so much devastation d suffering to this country. caitriona: on that point, hugo, more broadly, what has the response been like to this cease-fire plan? is there confidence it is succeeding? hugo: yeah. i think one of the key points here is about implementation, so the lebanese military will deoy 5000 soldiers to the south of the country. i think there will be some international help to boost the lebanese military. and the international community to monitor the imitation of the deal. this is a five country group that will be led by the americans. and what the israelis are saying come and we heard from prime minister benjamin netanyahu in that speech that he gave on television, that israel retains the right to attack lebanon if there's any violation of the

deal from has blood. and this have been guaranteed by the americans. now, this is obviously a very controversial point here in lebanon. lebanese officials and lebanese public see it as a violation of the country's sovereignty. i think the deal here is a they manage to degrade hezbollah significantly. they are now pushing hezbollah away from the border, and it is, in the eyes of many, a human aviation -- a humiliation for has blood. this is a diminished hezbollah. the group has been diminished after intense airstrikes, essentially decimated by those israeli airstrikes. i think the fear here is this may bring an end to the conflict with israel, but the fear in lebanon is back an -- that an internal conflict could come next. caitriona: ok, hugo bachega in beirut, thank you for that. for more on the u.s. role in the

cease-fire deal in the end limitation that hugo was talking about, i've been speaking to the pentagon press secretary, major general powers. can you talk to us about what role be department of defense played in getting the cease-fire deal over the line? >> first of all, thank you so much, caitriona, for having me. the pentagon, as part of the u.s. government interagency, of course, has been closely supporting this effort, working with our state department and our white house. in terms of the role that the department of defense will play, you know, we will certainly have more to say on that. president biden has been clear that u.s. forces will not be on the ground, working with lebanon, france, and others, to support the lebanese armed forces and ensure the training and capacity and strategy with support and security within

lebanon. so i think it is a very positive development in the region. caitriona: as you say, major general, president biden said the u.s. will work with allies to make sure the arrangement is implement it, that there would be no u.s. troops in southern banon, but how can the u.s. secure the deal, i mean, does there need to be a military element to that? maj. gen. ryder: well, certainly with the lebanese armed forces and u.n. forces that are in the region, they will play a role in filling that vacuum that hezbollah, you know, not being i n there anymore, they will play an important role. israel will drive its voices from southern lebanon as part of this deal over the next 60 days. the idea here is that lebanese armed forces will fill that gap, fill that void, and, again, the united states working with france and with others, will ensure they have a training and capacity and strategy to support

those efforts. caitriona: does that mean an increase in military aid from what is currently provided? maj. gen. ryder: we will have more details on that. we have been in close to munication with lebanese armed forces throughout this process to talk about these next steps, but i don't have anything specific to announce in terms of potential funding or specific assistance other than to say, again, we have a working relationship with the laf, and we will discuss how to best meet their training and capacity needs. caitriona: ok. what impact do you think all of this will have on the wider region, for example, iran? helena: -- maj. gen. ryder: will certainly from the beginning, we've been working hard to prevent a wider conflict from happening. this lowering of the temperature in terms of the conflict between israel and hezbollah as a very positive development in that regard. what you will see in the days ahead, is the united states

working with others, we will continue to do a full court press to seek a cease-fire in gaza, and, again,urther reduce the temperatures in the region and continue to try to resolve these issues, these conflicts, rather, through diplomacy. caitriona: speaking of gaza, president biden, again, when he was making that address earlier, spoke of how, he used the word "hell," how the situation is in gaza for the civilia there. the secretary of defense and secretary of state sent a letter of humans are in aid to mr. netanyahu, a threat, deemed that israel was making sufficient steps to improve the humanitarian situation there. is that progss continuing? are you satisfied with what you are seeing? maj. gen. ryder: short answer is no. more needs to be done, in terms of humanitarian assistance for the people of gaza. this is a point that secretary

austin and other u.s. leaders continue to make to our israeli counterparts. we've seen some progress, but more needs to have been viewed we will continue to press for a cease-fire in gaza. the release of the hostages that are being held by hamas and ensure that were humanitarian assistance can get into the people who need it most, that have been through and are suffering from this terrible conflict. caitriona: what sort of progress are you seeing there? we herar from aid agencies that the situation is dire. maj. gen. ryder: it is absolutely dire, and it is important to remember how we got here in the first place, and that was hamas' terrible, cruel terrorist attack over a year ago when they attacked innocent israeli civilians, unleashing the topics they have employed throughout this war, cilian infrastructure. all that is a we understand the

threat that hamas poses, but we also understand the threat that this continued humanitarian situation present is not only to the people who are living with it but also the potential for perpetuating this conflict. so, again, we will continue to support israel's defense while at the same time, we believe it is absolutely vital that additional humanitarian assistance gets in, and we will keep working toward that end. caitriona: just before the deal was finalized, the advanced military gave an evacuation order for central beirut, launching airstrikes. at least 10 people were killed. -- is a member of lebanon's parliament. i spoke to him just before president biden announced the cease-fire deal. mark daou: multiple strikes at the center of the capital, in places that have never been struck before.

people have been running away. the tower has been blocked with people leaving the inner city, where they have been taking refuge for the past year. so the situation is very high on anxiety. a lot of people just want th to be done, as conflicting news about the imminent cease-fire are taking place tomorrow morning, hopefully. caitriona: now, these targets -- israel says these targets are hezbollah targets. what do you know from what you seen of the strikes? mark daou: they have been striking certain offices in the city, in the capital, but most are mainly like financial exchange offices or others. they are not military targets, so they are obviously a violation of the geneva convention. but nevertheless, that has never stopped israel before. caitriona: now, as you said a

moment ago, it looks like there will be a cease-fire beginning tomorrow morning. we don't have full details of that at the moment, as you and i are speaking now, but from what you know, does a good lebanon enough guarantees of a cease-fire, that it will be safe for your citizens to return to their homes? mp daou: what we are hearing is there going to have a trial, 60-day cease-fire. this is not a permanent deal. this is not a resolution of the entire conflict that is being put on the table. this is a trial period, from what we are getting, of 60 days, where the lebanese army has to take over certain tasks and areas that will be evacuated, the israelis would withdraw from in southern lebanon, and then some indicators have shown that there is action that needs to be taken by the lebanese armed forces in gathering military

equipment and stopping the barrages of rockets being fired by hezbollah and israel, and to maintain the peace through military action. caitriona: from your perspective come as a member of parliament, is all of that achievable? mp daou: i believe it is achievable, the lebanese forces willing to do that.ey are i met with the chief of the army a week ago. even some of the equipment that has been acquired has been delivered by jordan, the u.k., germans, the canadians. there is support for the lebanese armed forces. i believe the full trust in them taking control. the second level is the political level. this is where i think parliament should meet immediately, elect a president, formulate a new government that recognizes the new terms and the roles that are required by the lebanese estate to play, and some of the current caretaker government ending, the vacant position of the presidency that has been

cant for the past two years, unfortunately. caitriona: now, as we know, hezbollah is a prescribed organization by many governments, including the u.s. and the u.k., but it also is involved in many, many types of daily life in lebanon. so what does all of this mean for the future of hezbollah in lebanon? mp daou: i think hezbollah will always remain as a political party, but at least they will not become the hegemonic party supported by iran that can use lebanon as a platform to execute policy, or to decide unilaterally to open the front lines and start firing rockets on israel as they did in october after hamas' attack in gaza or from gaza. thiss why i think this is a changing point, and this is a real opportunity for the lebanese to take their country back from iranian influence and from what is carried from malicious serious to iran to execute their regional diplomacy

, executing the needsor their own people in lebanon and their own state. caitriona: i'm just seeing as we are speaking now that the u.s. president joe biden is saying that israel and lebanon have accepted the terms of this deal. that must come as a tremendous relief to you and to everyone there. mp daou: indeed. we have been waiting for this. this is a war nobody in lebanon want to come except fo hezbollah, i dropped the country into it. this is a war we wanted to avoid, because we've seen what is reall has done -- what israel has done to gaza, in terms of killing. we knew we needed to protect lebanon, as the cause has been severe on us between israeli brutality and the nonchalance of hezbollah, lebanon is payi a very heavy price in a time where the economic situation has been dire. crises have been happening, and now we need to rebuild billions

of dollars. the world bank said the losses are close to $8.5 billion, not accounting for the last couple of weeks. caitriona: the mexican peso declined and the canadian dollar hit a four-yard low after donald trump announced he would impose tariffs on his first day in office for president-elect trump revealed plans for 25% taxes on all imports from canada and mexico, saying he is using them as leverage to curb drug trafficking and unauthized integration. he says this tariff will remain in effect until such time as drugs, particularly fentanyl, and what he called illegal aliens stop their invasion of our country. strong reactions. the mexican president said tariffs will do nothing to curb drugs or migration, noting that u.s. drug demand drives the supply of fentanyl. she warned that mexico could retaliate with tariffs, saying both countries would lose.

justin trudeau, the canadian prime minister, convened an emergency meeting, saying he and the president elect already had a productive conversation by phone. the president-elect trump also vowed 10% tariffs on chinese goods, adding to those already in place. for more reaction, our correspondent in canada, mexico, and china sent us these reports. >> it is clear that business and political leaders are concerned. the u.s. is canada's largest trading partner. in the words of doug ford, the economic impact of tariffs would be devastating. one message they are trying to hammer home is that u.s. consumers would also be hurt by tariffs. noting, for example, that 60% of u.s. crude oil imports come from canada. on wednesday, justin trudeau will be meeting with his provincial and territorial counterparts to discuss the path forward with the u.s., and it will likely be a bumpy one.

>> there is a sense of deja vu among the business community as donald trump comes in. this is under the desk of the oval office and he's already threatening his neighbors with sanctions. plus there's the feeling that mexicans should differentiate between his staff and his fight. one has written a letter in which he said tariffs are not the way to go in order to deal with undocumented immigration and warned she would have to retaliate with some of her own. the mexican authorities wonder what more they can do on the issue. they've already clamped down on people moving north without the right paperwork as a result of pressure from the biden administration, and donald trump is set to inherit the situation in which fewer undocumented migrants are being apprehended at the u.s.-mexico border than at any other time over the past four years. >> many leaving china for the united states are already checked, but donald trump wants to slap an extra 10% on top of

that. that is things like furniture, goods, even your leather bags. he wants to do this to try to curb the flow of fentanyl from here in china to the u.s., but beijing has a warning of its own. it says that a trade war is not one that any country can win, and they say they are already trying to prevent fentanyl from reaching the u.s. so donald trump seems set to renew his global trade confrontation with china. caitriona: let's return to our top story now. the u.s. says israel and hezbollah have agreed to a cease-fire in lebanon nearly two weeks after a deal was first proposed. it will go into effect at 4:00 a.m. local time or 9:00 p.m. u.s. eastern time this evening. let's get more on this now with our jerusalem correspondent frank gardner. talk us through what has been the response to this cease-fire deal in israel. is there a sense it can hold?

frank: well, it's mixed. i think it depends on whether you see the glass as half full or half empty. there are a number of people up in the north north of the country who are very critical of the deal, because they say more time should have been dedicated to disregard hezbollah's and missile capabilities, 19 miles north of the border, sustained over that border. this is 2006 at the end of the last israel-lebanon war, and they logged them at israel, northern israel, since october 7 of last year. so there's a fair degree of skepticism, i think among some people, but there is enormous u.s. pressure here. this is kind of in the dying days of the biden presidency, this is supposed to be a big

foreign policy achievement in the middle east, and i think the region will be breathing a sigh of relief that at least one fire is being extinguished. attention will now turn to gaza, which now is the main conflict in the region, probably a harder one to solve, because the difference is that in lebanon, you've at least got a government to deal with. in gaza, there's not a proper government. you have a prescribed terrorist group, hamas, which is prescribed by many governments in the u.s. that is going to be a much tougher want to do. you also have the complicating factor of all those 100 or so israeli hostages still being held, presumably down and tunnels beneath gaza. so it is probably, on balance, a good day for the middle east, but the proof of the pudding will be in the meeting, and over the next 60 days, people will be watching to see if the lebanon peace deal actually holds. caitriona: frank, when you're

talking about gaza they are, is there any sense that the u.s. pressure or anything from israel's side may now focus on trying to get a deal done as . frank: the u.s. has been heavily involved, particularly the cia, along with egypt and cq atar, trying to bridge the gap between israel's position and hamas' position. we have the u.s. secretary of state in london say 90% of the way there. it's the last 10% that is difficult. caitriona: ok, frank gardner, thank you so much for joining us from jerusalem. that is it for world news america today. i'm caitriona perry. thank you so much for watching. ♪ announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james.

announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: get the free pbs app now and stream the best of pbs.

♪ william: good evening. i'm william brangham. on the news hour tonight, israel approves a cease-fire deal with hezbollah in lebanon.